how memory works
In the information processing model, explain the process of encoding.
getting information into our memory system
implicit memories require __________ processing while explicit memories require _____________ processing.
automatic; effortful
what are the two types of explicit memories?
semantic & episodic
what is anterograde amnesia?
the inability to form new explicit memories (automatic processing that enables the formation of new implicit memories is still in tact!)
if one is engaging in convergent thinking, how do they engage with a problem?
Narrowing the available solutions to determine the single best solution
around how many items can be stored in the short term memory at any one time?
7 (+/–2)
what constitutes explicit or declarative memory?
facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare”
what constitutes semantic memory?
Explicit memory of facts and general knowledge
What occurs during proactive interference?
prior learning disrupts your recall of new information; old lock combo gets in the way of remembering new lock combo
what is a heuristic?
simple thinking strategy that allows us to make quick judgements and solve problems efficiently; mental shortcuts
why is short term memory also called 'working memory'?
it is a sketchpad where your brain actively processes info
what is sensory memory?
recording of momentary images of scenes / sounds
what constitutes episodic memory?
Explicit memory of personally experienced events
what is the misinformation effect?
when misleading information has distorted one’s memory of an event; leads to false memories/false confessions
what is confirmation bias?
when we only seek out info that confirms out belief or when we judge sources that confirm our beliefs as more reliable/valid than sources that disconfirm our belief
when we use the term 'parallel processing' in regards to how our brain works, what are we saying?
Our brain processes many things simultaneously (some of them unconsciously); Brain’s natural mode of information processing
which of the following types of memory constitutes a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli, iconic or echoic memory?
iconic
what does the encoding specificity principle state?
Cues / contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it
what is source amnesia?
Faulty memory for how, when or where information was learned
when someone estimate the likelihood of some event based on how closely the event matches their prototype of it, they are utilizing the ____________ heuristic.
representative
In Atkinson and Shiffrin’s three-stage model, what are the three types of memory systems?
sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory
The memory of your first day of high school is considered a ________ memory while memory of how to ride a bike is a _________ memory.
explicit (declarative) , implicit
what are the 2 processing sites for explicit memories?
Frontal lobes and hippocampus
what is infantile amnesia? what brain late-developing brain structure causes us to experience infantile amnesia?
first 4 years of our lives are largely blank; hippocampus
define the concept of belief perseverance
clinging to one’s initial ideas after they have been discredited