Memory (constructed)

Ability to store and retrieve information
over time. Memory is subjective

Encoding

Process by which we transform what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory

Storage

Process of maintaining information in
memory over time

Retrieval

Process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored

Sematic Encoding

Process of actively relating new
information to knowledge that is already in memory (the
“gist” of the information)

Visual Encoding

Process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures

Organizational Encoding

Process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items

Sensory Memory

Storage that holds sensory information
for a few seconds or less

Echoic Memory

Fast- decaying store ofauditory information (5 sec.)

Iconic Memory

Fast- decaying store of visual
information (1 sec.)

Rehearsal

Process of keeping information in STM by mentally repeating it

Short-term Memory

Storage that holds non-sensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute; can hold about seven (7) items

Chunking

Combining small pieces of information into larger clusters that are more easily held in STM

Working Memory

Active maintenance of information in STM. Long-term memory (LTM)

Long-term Memory

Storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, or years; no known capacity

Consolidation

Process by which memories become stable in the brain

Encoding Specificity

Idea that a retrieval cue can serve as an effective reminder when it helps recreate the specific way in which information was initially encoded

State-dependent retrieval

Tendency for information to be better
recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding
and retrieval

Transfer-appropriate Processing

Memory is likely to transfer from
one situation to another when the encoding context of the situations match

Explicit Memory

Act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past experiences

Implicit Memory

Influence of past experiences on later behavior, even without an effort to
remember them or an awareness of the recollection

Procedural Memory

Gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice, or “knowing how” to do things

Semantic Memory

Network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world

Episodic Memory

Collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place

Collaborative Memory

how people remember in groups

Collaborative Inhibition

the same number of individuals working together recall fewer items than they would on their own

Transience

Forgetting what occurs with the passage of time

Retroactive Interference

Situations in which information learned later impairs memory for information acquired earlier

Proactive Interference

Situations in which information learned earlier impairs memory for information acquired later

Absentmindedness

Lapse in attention that results in memory failure (failure to encode)

Prospective Memory

Remembering to do things in the future

Blocking

Failure to retrieve information that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it (retrieval failure)

Tip-of-the-tongue Phenomenon

The inability to recall a word while knowing it is in memory.

Memory Misattribution

Assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source

Source Memory

Recall of when, where, and how
information was acquired

False Recognition

Feeling of familiarity about something that hasn’t been encountered before

Suggestibility

Tendency to incorporate misleading
information from external sources into personal recollections

Bias

Distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences

Consistency Bias

Tendency to reconstruct the past to fit the present

Persistence

Intrusive recollection of events that
we wish we could forget

Retrograde amnesia

when you can't recall memories from your past

Anterograde amnesia

when you can't form new memories but can still remember things from before you developed this amnesia.