Glossary

acetylcholine
A neurotransmitter which is a key ingredient in routine memory activity
Related Pages: diet

acoustic coding
A type of short term memory coding in which you remember information by the way it sounds.
Related Pages: short term memory, memory & the senses, rhymes

acronym
A word formed from the first letters or groups of letters in a name or phrase.
Related pages: acronyms

acrostic
A series of lines from which particular letters (such as the first letters of all lines) from a word or phrase.
Related pages acronyms

amnesia
A total or partial loss of memory. It usually occurs in result of shock, psychological disturbance, brain injury, or illness. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 17)
Related Pages: amnesia

amygdala
A part of the limbic system in the brain that deals with and marks memories for intense emotion
Related Pages: brain structures

antioxidant
substance that inhibits oxidation, thus counteracting the damaging effects caused by free radicals in animal tissues.
Related pages: diet

antiretrograde amnesia = anterograde amnesia
A loss of memory for events occurring after the onset of amnesia Specifically, antiretrograde = anterograde, which is moving or tending forward. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 10, 17)
Related Pages: amnesia

aphasia
The inability to speak or understand words.
Related pages: aphasia, brain structures

Atherosclerosis / arteriosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the most common form of arteriosclerosis. It is caused by a build-up of cholesterol and calcium deposits in the lining of arteries.
Related Pages: diet, Atherosclerosis

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model
An approach to memory that categorizes it according to the length of time the information is stored in the brain: Sensory memory, Short-term Memory, and Long-term Memory.
Related Pages: basics, sensory memory, short term memory, long term memory

autobiographical memory
Memory of events and issues related to oneself.
Related Pages: episodic memory, autobiographical memory

axon
The long skinny portion of a neuron that carries the message across the cell.
Related Pages: neuron

basal ganglia
A cluster of four structures in the brain involved with coordinating motion. Relays information to and from the cerebellum.
Related pages: brain structures

brain
Tissue inside the skull made up of nerve cells (neurons). The brain is the prime regulator and coordinator of activities.
Related pages: science of memory, brain structures, neurons.

brain stem
Base of brain made up of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain
Related Pages: Brain structures

Broca's Area
A portion of the brain related to speech.
Related Pages: aphasia, brain structures

central executive
Part of the theory of working memory that integrates information for each of the other two parts of working memory as well as from long term memory. It is also in charge of attention and planning.
Related Pages: working memory

central nervous system
Part of anatomy consisting of the brain and spinal cord.
Related Pages: brain structures

cerebellum
Brain structure in charge of posture and balance. It is located in the back base of the brain.
Related pages: brain structures

cerebrum
Brain structure where most information is processed and where planning takes place. It is located above the brain stem and the cerebellum.
Related pages: brain structures

chunks
The basic unit of short term memory. One piece of meaningful information. This could be a letter or a word, a digit or a number.
Related Pages: short term memory

classical conditioning
A specific form of learning in which an otherwise neutral stimulus (CS) is paired with a specific response (CR). This is taught to the subject by paralleling the stimulus and response pair with an automatic stimulus (US) and response (UR) pair which the subject already knows automatically.
Related pages: conditioning

computer memory
A machine's capacity for storing information and the device used to store information
Related Pages: computer memory

conditioned response = conditioned reflex
An action that takes place automatically, without conscious thought, in response to a given stimulus. It is learned through repetition.
Related Pages: conditioning

confabulations
Memories that have been reconstructed and so are not completely true.
Related pages: reconstructed memories, repressed memories.

consciousness
A sense of awareness of one's own experiences, of a personal identity. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 21)
Related Pages:

consolidation
The processes occurring after an experience that stabilize memory for the event. (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.282)
Related pages: mnemonics

constructive process = unintended prefabrication/confabulation
The unconscious invention of false memories.
Related pages: reconstructed memories, reconstructed memories activity

decay theory = deterioration theory
States that forgetting occurs because the physical memory is no longer there.
Related pages: decay theory, time

dementia
Progressive cognitive decline, particularly marked by memory loss.
Related Pages: memory and aging.

dendrites
Part of a neuron that receives messages.
Related pages: neurons

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A molecular (chemical) structure that carries the genetic information for "all living things".(Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 20, 25)
Related Pages: DNA

echoic memory = auditory sensory memory
Sensory memory related to hearing; lasts less than four seconds.
Related pages: sensory memory

eulogy
A speech, usually given in a funeral service, in tribute to a person who has just died.
Related Pages: memorial and funeral services

encoding
"Converting stimulus to a form that can be stored in memory" (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.252)
Related Pages: information processing, encoding

engram
A particular pattern of neural activity that holds a memory.
Related Pages: engrams, information processing, decay theory

episodic memory
Information stored about specific events.
Related Pages: episodic memory, semantic v. episodic memory, information processing

feature extraction
Noticing things out of the ordinary.
Related Pages: sensory memory

fissure
A fold in the brain. Often pointed out as a line of differentiation between the parts of the brain.
Related pages: brain structures

flashbulb memory
Vivid, long-lasting memories of when you first heard surprising and emotionally arousing news.
Related Pages: episodic memory

forgetting
The loss of information
Related Pages: forgetting, time

frontal lobes
Part of the cerebrum in the brain where planning takes place.
Related pages: brain structures

fugue amnesia
Occurs when one forgets his or her identity.
Related pages: fugue amnesia

funeral
A ceremony or religous service for a person who has died, related to burials.
Related pages: memorial and funeral services

haptic memory
Memories for texture, how something feels. Specifically, haptic means pertaining to the sense of touch.
Related pages: memory & the senses

hippocampus
A brain structure within the limbic system involved in short term memory
Related pages: brain structures

iconic memory = visual sensory memory
Sensory memory related to sight; lasts less than one second.
Related pages: sensory memory

information
Anything that comes to you through any of your senses (sight, hearing, scent, taste, touch).
Related Pages: processing information, sensory memory

intelligence
The ability to acquire, organize, and evaluate information (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 17)
Related Pages:

interference theory
Memory for information is blocked by memory for other information.
Related pages: interference theory

Korsakoff's Syndrome
A memory disorder caused by excessive drinking or very poor nutrition.
Related Pages: Wernicke-Korsakoff's Sydnrome, alcohol

limbic system
A group of brain structures around the top of the brain stem.
Related Pages: brain structures, engrams

leading questions
A legal term referring to questions that could influence an eyewitness' memory.
Related pages: eyewitness memory, time

longitudinal sulcus
The fissure (split) in the brain that divides the two cerebral hemispheres
Related Pages: brain structures

long term memory
Information that has been encoded into the brain and transferred over from short term memory for (relatively) permanent storage.
Related Pages: long term memory

medication
The process of giving medicine, a substance used to treat disease or illness.
Related Pages: medication, chronic fatigue syndrome

medulla oblongata = medulla
Latin for "elongated marrow"; the first inch of the three-inch brain stem (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 57)
Related Pages: brain structures

megabyte
One million units or characters of computer storage capacity (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 44)
Related Pages: computer memory

memorial service
A ceremony to celebrate the life of one who has died. They may be held later than the typical funeral.
Related pages: memorial and funeral services

memory
The storing of information over time.
Related Pages: what is memory

metamemory
Knowledge of one's own memory and how it works.
Related pages: memory tricks

midbrain
The midbrain is a relay point for a variety of sensory inputs. The midbrain controls some basic responses such as the dilating or narrowing of the pupil in response to the light intensity.
Related Pages: brain structures

mnemonic device
A device "of or pertaining to memory." Often used to indicate a device that can help you remember things.
Related Pages: mnemonics

Mnemosyne
Ancient Greek goddess, the goddess of memory, the daughter of heaven and earth (Uranus and Ge), also the mother of the Muses.
Related Pages: art

neurobiologist
Someone who studies neurons and other brain cells to understand how thoughts and memories are formed. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 61)
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neurosurgeon
A doctor who operates on the brain. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 61)
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neuropsychologist
A specialist who tests for brain impairment (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 61)
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neuroscientist
Someone who studies the brain. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 61)
Related Pages: structures of the brain, neurons

neurons = nerve cells
Cells that transmit information within the nervous system. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 56).
Related Pages: neurons

neurotransmitter
chemicals released and received by neurons, activating the receptor, which either depolarizes the cell (making it more likely to fire) or hyperpolerizes the cell (making it less like likely to fire).
Related pages: neurons

nervous system
An organ system in the human body that receives and processes sensory information from the external environment and coordinates short-term reactions to these stimuli.
Related pages: brain background

object permanence
The concept described by Jean Piaget that things continue to exist even when no longer present to the senses. This concept is usually mastered within the first 1.5 years of life.
Related pages: newborn development, infant development

occipital lobes
Brain structures in the cerebrum located in the back of the brain, interpret visual information, such as size, shape, color, distance, texture, and movement.
Related Pages: brain structures

parietal lobes
Brain structure of the cerebrum that processes information from the different senses, except for the sense of smell, which is processed in the olfactory bulbs.
Related pages: brain background

partial-report technique
A method of studying the capacity of memory in which the subject is asked to report all of the stimulus presented in just a very brief amount of time. Stimulus could be shown as a matrix for iconic memory or heard as a sequence of items in echoic memory.
Related pages: sensory memory research

peripheral nervous system
The part of the nervous system that connects the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.
Related pages: brain background

phonological loop / store
Part of working memory that stores a limited number of sounds for a short period of time (less than one minute).
Related Pages: short-term memory

pons
A thick white bundle of nerve fibers that has connections to various parts of the brain, mainly the cerebellum. It relays messages between the forebrain and the rest of the nervous system.
Related Pages: brain background

presynaptic terminal
The part of a neuron that sends messages on to the next cell.
Related pages: neurons

proactive inhibition/interference
"Forgetting due to previous learning." (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.279) Underwood, 1957(Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.280)
Related pages: interference theory

procedural memory = motor memory
Stored information that is stored that is "knowing how to do something, or learning connections between stimuli and responses." (Matlin, 1998, p. 88)
Related Pages: procedural memory, implicit memory, brain structures, purposes

random access memory (RAM)
Memory that can be changed or updated as needed (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 44)
Related Pages: computer memory, information processing

read only memory (ROM)
With computers, memory that cannot be changed.
Related Pages: computer memory

reconstructed memories = confabulations = prefabricated memories
False or partially false memories that are created by guessing what might have realistically happened based on general knowledge and surrounding facts.
Related pages: reconstructed memories, repressed memories

rehearsal
Repeating information to oneself silently in one's mind over and over again. A method for retaining information in short term memory, also a method for encoding information, transferring it from short term to long term memory.
Related pages: short term memory

repetition
Saying information aloud over and over again. A method for retaining information in short term memory, also a method for encoding information, transferring it from short term to long term memory.
Related pages: short term memory, long term memory

repressed memories
Memories that have been blocked from the conscious mind.
Related pages: repressed memories

retrieving
Process of accessing information already stored in memory.
Related pages: memory retrieval, processing information

retroactive inhibition/interference
"Forgetting caused by learning material after the to-be-remembered episode"(Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.279)
Related pages: interference theory

retrograde amnesia
A loss of memory for events occurring before the onset of amnesia. Specifically, the word retrograde means moving or tending (to go) backward. (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, page 17)
Related Pages: amnesia

rhyme
A saying that has similar terminal sounds at the end of each line.
Related pages: rhyme

schema
General knowledge about a typical object or event of a specific category.
Related Pages: schemas, semantic v. episodic memory

selective attention
Noticing important information necessary to meet our basic needs.
Related Pages: sensory memory

semantic coding
A type of short term memory coding in which you remember information by way of its meaning.
Related Pages: short term memory

semantic memory
Factual information stored; knowledge about the world.
Related Pages: semantic memory, semantic v. episodic memory

sensory memory = sensory register = sensory storage
Memory that keeps the stimulus' trace an instant after it has disappeared.
Related pages: sensory memory, purposes

shallow processing = maintenance rehearsal
Keeps info in short-term, long enough to evaluate content.
Related Pages: encoding

short term memory = short-term memory
Memory that keeps the information retrievable for up to thirty seconds after which information is lost if it is not repeated or rehearsed.
Related Pages: Short Term Memory, alcohol

short term memory capacity = memory span
The number of units of information a person can retain in short term memory.
Related Pages: Short Term Memory, chunking and organization

sleep
The natural process of suspending consciousness to rest.
Related pages: sleep, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain structures

soma
The body of a nerve cell (neuron).
Related pages: neurons

spinal cord
The main pathway for sending nerve massages between the brain and the peripheral nervous system.
Related pages: brain background

storing
Retaining over time.
Related Pages: information processing

subjective organization
Finding one's own way to categorize a set of seemingly unrelated items, resulting in improved recall (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.266)
Related Pages: mnemonics

subvocal rehearsal process
In working memory, the way in which information is retained in the phonological store. Involves, silent mental repetition of the information.
Related Pages: short term memory

suppressed memories
Memories that are pushed out of the conscious mind but can be retrieved with appropriate cues and sufficient effort.
Related pages: repressed memories

synapse
A gap between two neurons (the presynaptic terminals of one and the dendrites of the other).
Related pages: neurons

temporal lobes
Portion of the brain where hearing is processed.
Related Pages: brain structures, working memory,

thalamus
A brain structure in the limbic system that serves as a relay station for sensory information
Related pages: brain structures

thiamine = thiamin = vitamin B1
An important vitamin in memory. It breaks down carbohydrates into energy for brain cells.
Related Pages: diet, Wernicke-Korsakoff Sydnrome

" tip of the tongue " phenomenon
A situation in which a person is having difficulty with trying to remember a word and call it to mind despite the strong feeling of knowing it.
Related Pages: engrams, memory and aging

Tulving's Model
An approach to memory that categorizes it according to the type information being remembered: Episodic Memory, Semantic Memory, and Procedural Memory.
Related Pages: long-term memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, procedural memory

visual coding
A type of short term memory coding in which you remember information by its visual characteristics.
Related Pages: short term memory

visuo-spatial working memory
Part of working memory that retains information in mental images.
Related Pages: short term memory

Wernike's Area
area of the brain related to the understanding of language.
Related pages: aphasia, brain structures.

whole-report technique
A method of studying the capacity of sensory memory in which the subject asked to report all of the stimulus presented in just a very brief amount of time. Stimulus could be shown as a matrix for iconic memory or heard as a sequence of items in echoic memory.
Related pages: sensory memory research

working memory
One approach to looking at short term memory. It contains three components: the phonological loop, visuo-spatial working memory, and the central executive.
Related Pages: short term memory