| A | B |
|---|
| Encoding | Converting information into a useable form that can be stored and represented in memory |
| Storage | The retention of information in memory over time that can be retrieved later |
| Retrieval | Locating and recovering stored information so that we can be consciously aware of it |
| Recall | Retrieving stored information using a minimal amount of cues to assist |
| Recognition | Identification of the correct information among a list of incorrect options |
| Relearning | Less time to learn something again due to retention of prior learning |
| Sensory memory | Holds information until attention is paid and it is transferred to STM |
| Sensory memory capacity | unlimited |
| Sensory memory duration (echoic) | 3-4 seconds |
| Sensory memory duration (iconic) | 0.2 - 0.4 seconds |
| Short-term memory (STM) | Discards, retains or encodes information from sensory and LTM |
| STM capacity | 7 +/- 2 pieces of information |
| STM duration | 18-20 seconds |
| Long-term memory (LTM) | Relatively permanent storage place that holds an almost unlimited amount of information |
| LTM capacity | Potentially unlimited |
| LTM duration | Relatively permanent |
| Maintenance rehearsal | Simple rote repetition of information to keep in STM for longer |
| Elaborative rehearsal | Links new information with existing information stored in LTM |
| Chunking | Grouping multiple separate items into a fewer larger units or “chunks” to increase capacity of STM |
| Consolidation theory | Takes 30 minutes for neurological change/transfer from STM to LTM |
| Procedural memory | Memories about "knowing how" to do something |
| Declarative memory | Memories about "knowing that..." |
| Semantic memory | Memories of facts or encyclopaedic information |
| Episodic memory | Memories of personal events that have happened throughout your life |
| Phonological loop | Temporary storage of what we hear (auditory) |
| Visuospatial sketchpad | Temporary storage of what we see (visual and spatial) |
| Central executive | “works” on information from sensory memory and LTM, discards/encodes information, decides what to store in LTM, retrieves information from LTM |
| Semantic netwok theory | Organisation of information in LTM through "nodes" connected by "links" |
| Measure of retention | A method of measuring the amount of information retained in memory |
| Working memory | STM system that holds information temporarily while it is being used or "worked on" |
| Serial position effect | Free recall of items in a list is best for items at end, then beginning and worst for middle |
| Primacy effect | Recall for items at the beginning of a list is high as the items have been rehearsed, encoded and stored in LTM |
| Recency effect | Recall for items at the end of a list is high as the items are still in STM, so long as the list is recalled within 30 seconds |
| Forgetting curve | Retention drops rapidly at first then gradual; 20 mins – 58%; 1 hour – 44%; 8 hours – 35%; 1 day – 34%; 1 week – 21% |
| Retrieval failure theory | Inability to retrieve material due to an absence of the right cues, or a failure to use them |
| Retroactive interference | New material inhibits ability to retrieve old material |
| Proactive interference | Old material inhibits ability to encode and store new material |
| Interference theory | Competition for recall with other similar information |
| Motivated forgetting | Occurs when someone wants to forget |
| Suppression | Making a deliberate, conscious effort to keep embarrassing information out of conscious thought |
| Repression | An unconscious process where a traumatic event is blocked from conscious awareness |
| Decay theory | Memory fades due to lack of use; rests on the notion that when a memory is laid down there is a chemical trace of the experience which “fades” as time passes unless it is strengthened by using it |
| Retrograde amnesia | When the memory loss is only of events which occurred before the brain damage. Often caused by external event; like retrieval failure theory, as memory is often recovered over time |
| Anterograde amnesia | When memory loss is only of events that occur after the brain damage; difficultly consolidating/transferring information from STM to LTM; may be caused by Korsakoff’s syndrome, drug use, or damage to hippocampus or frontal lobes |
| Memory decline (STM) | May experience difficulty with working memory due to physical decline of nervous system (frontal lobes) |
| Memory decline (LTM) | Episodic memory appears worst affected, whereas procedural/semantic memories may improve |
| Quality of encoding | Encoding is enhanced through elaboration – a way in which new information is made more meaningful by linking it to known information already stored in LTM; this occurs in STM through elaborative rehearsal including self-referencing |
| Context-dependent cues | Information from the external environment when the memory was formed acts as a retrieval cue |
| State-dependent cues | Information related to the emotional or physiological state when the memory was formed acts as a retrieval cue |
| Mnemonic device | Fitting new information in with what we already know (in LTM) |
| Method of loci | Visualised links between places and information to be remembered |
| Narrative chaining | Words to be remembered are linked to form a narrative or story |
