AP®︎ Psychology: Topic 2.5 Flashcards

The retention of encoded information over time

The immediate, extremely brief retention of detailed sensory information after a stimulus ends

Sensory memory for visual information, generally lasting about 0.2 to 0.5 seconds

Sensory memory for auditory information, generally lasting about 3 to 4 seconds

After briefly showing a letter array, Sperling used a tone to cue one row; accurate reports showed that iconic memory briefly holds extensive visual information before rapidly decaying

The limited-capacity storage of information in conscious awareness for about 15 to 30 seconds without rehearsal

Participants recalled consonant trigrams after counting backward to prevent rehearsal; recall declined as the delay increased, demonstrating rapid loss from short-term memory

A limited-capacity system that temporarily holds and actively manipulates information during thinking

The relatively enduring, essentially unlimited storage of information for periods ranging from hours to a lifetime

The strengthening of synaptic connections after repeated activation, a biological mechanism associated with memory storage

Rote repetition that keeps information active in short-term memory without adding meaning

Connecting new information with meaning, prior knowledge, imagery, examples, categories, or personal experience to improve long-term retention

Memory for information connected to one’s own life, including personal experiences and knowledge about oneself

The tendency to remember information better when it is connected to oneself

The unusual ability to recall personal experiences and their dates with exceptional detail, without having perfect memory for everything

A significant loss of memory or ability to form memories, often associated with brain injury, disease, surgery, or severe psychological trauma

Loss of memories formed before the onset of an injury or disorder

An inability or severe difficulty forming new long-term memories after the onset of an injury or disorder

A patient whose medial temporal lobe surgery caused profound anterograde amnesia while sparing brief retention and some procedural learning, revealing distinct memory systems

A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that damages memory and other cognitive abilities, often affecting new episodic learning before remote memories

The ordinary inability of older children and adults to recall autobiographical episodes from the earliest years of life, especially before about age 3