Glossary

associative models of memory	Models of memory as consisting of mental representations of clusters of interconnected information



autobiographical memories	Our recollections of circumstances and episodes from our own lives



chunk	A meaningful grouping of stimuli that can be stored as a unit in short-term memory



constructive processes	Processes in which memories are influenced by the meaning we give to eventsconstructive_processes (136.0K)



decay	The loss of information in memory through its nonuse



declarative memory	Memory for factual information: names, faces, dates, and the like



echoic memory	Memory of auditory information coming from the earsechoic_memory (106.0K)



episodic memory	Memory for the biographical details of our individual livesepisodic_memory (114.0K)



explicit memory	Intentional or conscious recollection of information



flashbulb memories	Memories of a specific, important, or surprising event that are so vivid, they are like a snapshot of the event



iconic memory	Memory of information from our visual systemiconic_memory (89.0K)



implicit memory	Memories people are not consciously aware of, but that can affect their subsequent performance and behavior



interference	The phenomenon by which information in memory displaces or blocks out other information, preventing its recall



levels-of-processing theory	The theory of memory that emphasizes the degree to which new material is mentally analyzed



long-term memory	Memory that stores information on a relatively permanent basis, although it might be difficult to retrieve



memory	The process by which we encode, store, and retrieve information



memory trace	A physical change in the brain that occurs when new material is learned



priming	A phenomenon in which exposure to a word or concept (called a prime) later makes it easier to recall related information, even when one has no conscious memory of the word or concept



procedural memory	Memory for skills and habits, such as riding a bike or hitting a baseball, sometimes referred to as "nondeclarative memory"



rehearsal	The repetition of information that has entered short-term memory



schemas	Sets of cognitions about people and social experiences



semantic memory	Memory for general knowledge and facts about the world, as well as memory for the rules of logic that are used to deduce other factssemantic_memory (180.0K)



sensory memory	The initial, momentary storage of information, lasting only an instant



short-term memory	Memory that holds information for 15 to 25 seconds



tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon	The inability to recall information that one realizes one knows-a result of the difficulty of retrieving information from long-term memory



working memory	An active "workspace" in which information is retrieved and manipulated, and in which information is held through rehearsal

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