This is where the definition will appear when you click on the Key Term.
attention
Process of focusing on particular stimuli in the environment.
consolidation
The biological neural process of making memories permanent; possibly short-term memory is electrically coded and long-term memory is chemically coded.
decay
Theory of forgetting in which sensory impressions leave memory traces that fade away with time.
depth of processing
In memory encoding, how relevantly or meaningfully the material is encoded; meaningful material is processed more deeply.
distributed practice
Learning material over an extended period of time, with breaks between sessions.
echoic memory
Auditory information that is encoded into the sensory memory store.
elaborative rehearsal
Thinking about the meaning of information and trying to form associations with information already in memory.
encoding
The process of putting information into the memory system.
engram
The physical memory trace or neural circuit that holds memory; also called memory trace.
episodic memory
Highest memory system; includes information about personal experiences.
eyewitness testimony
In a courtroom, an account of an incident given by someone who saw it firsthand.
false memories
Memories believed to be real, but never occurred.
flashbulb memory
Memory of an event that is so important that significant details are vividly remembered for life.
forgetting
In memory, not being able to retrieve the original learning. The part of the original learning that cannot be retrieved is said to be forgotten.
free recall
A verbal learning procedure in which the order of presentation of the stimuli is varied and the subject can learn the items in any order.
iconic memory
Visual information that is encoded into the sensory memory store.
immediate memory span
Sperling's measure of sensory memory capacity; subjects were asked to recall information immediately after it was presented to them.
information-processing theory
Memory theory that relies on computer models to describe the flow of information through the memory system.
interference
Theory of forgetting in which information that was learned before (proactive interference) or after (retroactive interference) causes the learner to be unable to remember the material of interest.
long-term memory
The permanent memory where rehearsed information is stored.
magic number
The finding that most people can remember about seven items of information for a short time (in short-term memory).
maintenance rehearsal
Repeating information over and over without thinking about it.
massed practice
Learning as much material as possible in long continuous stretches.
massed practice
The informational value of material to be learned; high meaningful material is better encoded.
memory
The process of storing information so that it can be retrieved and used later.
memory attributes
The critical features of an event that are used when the experience is encoded or retrieved.
memory trace
A hypothetical circuit that occurs because of learned information and fades due to disuse.
metamemory
The knowledge of one's own memory ability.
method of loci
Mnemonic technique that associates places with words to be remembered.
mnemonic technique
Method of improving memory by combining and relating chunks of information.
motivated forgetting (repression)
Theory which suggests that people want to forget unpleasant events.
overlearning
Continuing to rehearse information after the initial learning is accomplished.
paired-associate learning
A verbal learning procedure in which the subject is presented with a series of pairs of items to be remembered.
pattern recognition
Memory process in which information attended to is compared with information already permanently stored in memory.
pegword
A mnemonic technique that starts with a rhyme or series in which the key words serve as anchors to associate with other items to be remembered.
phonological loop
Responsible for auditory and speech-based information in memory.
primacy effect
Phenomenon where items are remembered because they come at the beginning of a list.
proactive interference
Interference caused by information learned before the material of interest.
procedural memory
The most basic type of long-term memory; involves the formation of associations between stimuli and responses.
recall (reconstruction)
In memory, a measure of retention in which the subject is required to retrieve learned information from memory.
recency effect
A phenomenon in which items are remembered because they come at the end of a list.
recognition
A measure of retention in which the subject identifies items which were previously learned.
reconstructive memory
Procedure in which an individual combines actual details of an event with other available information to fill in the gaps.
retrieval
The process of pulling information out of the memory system.
retroactive interference
Interference caused by information learned after the material of interest.
retrograde amnesia
Forgetting information recently learned because of disruptive stimulus such as electric shock.
savings (relearning)
Measure of retention in which the subject first learns a task and then is required to relearn it; if it takes less time to relearn, savings has occurred.
selective attention
The perception process of screening out irrelevant information while focusing on significant stimuli in the environment.
semantic memory
Type of long-term memory that can use cognitive activities, such as everyday knowledge.
sensory memory
The memory store that sensory information first enters in the memory system.
serial learning
A verbal learning procedure in which the stimuli are always presented in the same order, and the subject has to learn them in the order in which they are presented.
serial position effect
Finding of Ebbinghaus that people remember words at the beginning and end of a list better than those in the middle.
stimulus trace
The perceptual persistence of a stimulus after it is no longer present.
storage
The process that keeps information in the memory system.
subjective organization
Long-term memory procedures in which the individual provides a personal method of organizing information to be memorized.
tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
A phenomenon in which the closer a person comes to recalling something, the more accurately he or she can remember details, such as the number of syllables or letters.
visuo-spatial sketch pad
Responsible for visual images involved in geographical orientation and spatial task.
working memory
The memory store, with a capacity of about ??? items and enduring for up to ??? seconds, which handles current information.