Glossary
Alzheimer's Disease
A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes brain cells to waste away and die, leading to a continuous decline in memory and cognitive function.
Example:
An elderly person who increasingly struggles to remember recent conversations or find their way home may be showing early signs of Alzheimer's Disease.
Amnesia
A partial or total loss of memory, often caused by brain injury, disease, or psychological trauma.
Example:
After a severe concussion, a person might experience amnesia and be unable to recall events leading up to the injury.
Anterograde Amnesia
A type of amnesia characterized by the inability to form new memories *after* the onset of the amnesia-causing event.
Example:
A patient who can remember everything before their brain injury but cannot learn new names or facts is suffering from anterograde amnesia.
Autobiographical Memories
Memories of one's own life experiences, including both episodic and semantic components related to the self.
Example:
Your recollection of your high school graduation ceremony is an autobiographical memory.
Central Executive
The component of working memory that controls attention, coordinates the other two components, and manages cognitive processes.
Example:
When you're multitasking, like cooking and talking on the phone, your central executive is managing your attention between the two tasks.
Chunking
A memory strategy that involves organizing individual pieces of information into larger, more meaningful units to increase short-term memory capacity.
Example:
Remembering a long string of numbers like 149217761812 by grouping them into historical dates (1492, 1776, 1812) uses chunking.
Declarative (Explicit) Memory
A type of long-term memory that involves conscious recollection of facts, events, and experiences.
Example:
Recalling the name of the first president of the United States is an example of declarative (explicit) memory.
Echoic Memory
A type of sensory memory that stores auditory information for a few seconds.
Example:
Even if you weren't paying attention, your echoic memory allows you to recall the last few words someone said if they ask you to repeat them.
Elaborative Rehearsal
A deep processing technique that involves connecting new information to existing knowledge to facilitate transfer to long-term memory.
Example:
Instead of just repeating definitions, relating psychological concepts to your own life experiences is a form of elaborative rehearsal.
Emotions (and Memory)
Strong feelings that can enhance memory formation and retrieval, often by activating brain regions like the amygdala.
Example:
You likely have a vivid memory of a significant life event, like a wedding or a major accident, because of the strong emotions associated with it.
Episodic Memory
A type of declarative memory that stores personal experiences and specific events, often tied to a particular time and place.
Example:
Remembering what you ate for breakfast yesterday morning is an example of episodic memory.
Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)
An extremely rare condition where individuals can recall personal events and experiences with exceptional detail and accuracy.
Example:
A person with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory might be able to tell you what they ate for dinner on any given date from decades ago.
Iconic Memory
A type of sensory memory that stores visual information for a fraction of a second.
Example:
Quickly glancing at a street sign allows your iconic memory to capture the image before it fades.
Infantile Amnesia
The common inability of adults to retrieve episodic memories from early childhood, typically before the age of two to four.
Example:
Most adults cannot recall specific events from their first birthday party due to infantile amnesia.
Long-Term Memory (LTM)
A vast and relatively permanent storage system for information, skills, and experiences.
Example:
Remembering your first day of school or how to ride a bike relies on your long-term memory.
Maintenance Rehearsal
A shallow processing technique that involves repeating information over and over to keep it in short-term memory.
Example:
Repeatedly saying a phone number aloud until you dial it is an example of maintenance rehearsal.
Mnemonic Devices
Memory aids that use vivid imagery, organizational strategies, or rhymes to help encode and retrieve information.
Example:
Using the acronym 'HOMES' to remember the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) is a mnemonic device.
Nondeclarative (Implicit) Memory
A type of long-term memory that influences behavior without conscious awareness or recollection.
Example:
Being able to type without looking at the keyboard demonstrates your nondeclarative (implicit) memory.
Phonological Loop
A component of working memory responsible for processing and temporarily storing auditory and verbal information.
Example:
Silently repeating a grocery list to yourself before you write it down utilizes your phonological loop.
Priming
A phenomenon where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to a subsequent stimulus, often without conscious awareness.
Example:
If you recently saw the word 'yellow,' you might be quicker to identify the word 'banana' due to priming.
Procedural Memory
A type of nondeclarative memory that stores information about how to perform skills and habits.
Example:
The ability to ride a bicycle, even after years, is thanks to your procedural memory.
Retrograde Amnesia
A type of amnesia characterized by the inability to recall memories formed *before* the onset of the amnesia-causing event.
Example:
A character in a movie who wakes up after an accident and can't remember their past life is experiencing retrograde amnesia.
Self-Reference Effect
The tendency to remember information better when it is related to oneself or one's own experiences.
Example:
You're more likely to remember a new psychological term if you can connect it to a personal event, demonstrating the self-reference effect.
Semantic Memory
A type of declarative memory that stores general knowledge, facts, concepts, and vocabulary.
Example:
Knowing that Paris is the capital of France is stored in your semantic memory.
Sensory Memory
A very brief, initial recording of sensory information in the memory system.
Example:
When you see a bright flash of lightning, your sensory memory briefly holds the image even after the flash is gone.
Short-Term Memory (STM)
A temporary storage system that holds a limited amount of information for a short duration without rehearsal.
Example:
Remembering a new phone number just long enough to dial it uses your short-term memory.
Visuospatial Sketchpad
A component of working memory that temporarily holds and manipulates visual and spatial information.
Example:
Mentally rotating a 3D object in your mind to see it from different angles engages your visuospatial sketchpad.
Working Memory
An active system that not only stores but also manipulates information from short-term memory, allowing for complex cognitive tasks.
Example:
When you mentally calculate a tip at a restaurant, you are using your working memory to hold and process the numbers.