Glossary
Amnesia
A partial or total loss of memory, often resulting from brain injury, disease, or psychological trauma.
Example:
Following a severe concussion, a patient might suffer from amnesia, struggling to recall personal details.
Anterograde Amnesia
A form of amnesia where an individual is unable to form *new* memories after the onset of the memory loss, though past memories may remain intact.
Example:
Someone with anterograde amnesia might be introduced to you multiple times and forget you each time, despite remembering their childhood.
Deja Vu
The subjective feeling or illusion that one has previously experienced a current situation or event, even if it is objectively new.
Example:
Walking into a new coffee shop and feeling a strange sense of familiarity, as if you've been there before, is an instance of deja vu.
Elizabeth Loftus
A prominent cognitive psychologist known for her extensive research on memory, particularly the malleability of memory and the misinformation effect.
Example:
Elizabeth Loftus's groundbreaking studies have shown how easily memories can be distorted by new information.
Forgetting Curve
A graphical representation showing the rate at which memories are lost over time, indicating that most forgetting occurs soon after learning.
Example:
Without reviewing your notes, your recall of new information might quickly follow the steep decline of the forgetting curve.
Hermann Ebbinghaus
A German psychologist who pioneered the experimental study of memory and is known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and spacing effect.
Example:
Thanks to Hermann Ebbinghaus's work, we understand that consistent review is crucial to combat memory loss.
Memory Interference
A phenomenon where some memories compete with or block the retrieval of other memories, leading to forgetting.
Example:
When you try to recall a specific historical date but another similar date keeps coming to mind, you're experiencing memory interference.
Misinformation Effect
The phenomenon where a person's recall of episodic memories becomes less accurate because of post-event information.
Example:
An eyewitness's memory of a car accident might be altered by leading questions from a lawyer, demonstrating the misinformation effect.
Motivated Forgetting
A broad term referring to the conscious or unconscious forgetting of unpleasant or unwanted memories.
Example:
Someone might engage in motivated forgetting to push away the painful memories of a past traumatic event.
Overlearning
Continuing to practice or study material even after it has been mastered, which strengthens memory and makes it more resistant to forgetting.
Example:
Even after you can correctly answer all the flashcards, continuing to quiz yourself is an example of overlearning that solidifies your knowledge.
Proactive Interference
Forgetting of new information due to the interference of old information, where previously learned memories disrupt the recall of newer ones.
Example:
When you get a new email address but keep accidentally typing your old one, that's proactive interference at play.
Rehearsal
The conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in short-term memory or to encode it for long-term storage.
Example:
To memorize a new vocabulary word, you might use rehearsal by repeating it aloud multiple times.
Repression
A Freudian defense mechanism in which anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories are pushed into the unconscious mind to protect the individual from distress.
Example:
According to Freud, a person who experienced a traumatic childhood might use repression to unconsciously block those memories from conscious awareness.
Retroactive Interference
Forgetting of old information due to the learning of new information, where the new memories disrupt the recall of older ones.
Example:
After learning your new phone number, you might experience retroactive interference when trying to remember your old one.
Retrograde Amnesia
A form of amnesia where an individual is unable to recall events that occurred *before* the onset of the memory loss.
Example:
A character in a movie who wakes up after an accident with no memory of their past life is experiencing retrograde amnesia.
Source Amnesia (Misattribution Error)
The inability to remember the origin or context of a memory, even though the memory itself is recalled.
Example:
You might tell a friend a fascinating fact you learned, but due to source amnesia, you can't remember where you heard it.
Spacing Effect
The phenomenon where learning is more effective when study sessions are spaced out over time rather than crammed into a single session.
Example:
Studying for 30 minutes every day for a week before an exam, instead of cramming for three hours the night before, leverages the spacing effect.
Testing Effect
The finding that actively retrieving information from memory (e.g., through quizzing oneself) is a more effective way to learn and retain information than simply rereading it.
Example:
Instead of just highlighting your textbook, regularly quizzing yourself on the material demonstrates the powerful testing effect.
Time Spent
The duration dedicated to learning material, which directly correlates with better retention and reduced forgetting.
Example:
The more time spent actively engaging with your AP Psych textbook, the stronger your understanding will become.