First stop for external events

• Split-second holding tank for incoming sensory information

only some of it is stored in short-term memory

What determines which sensory messages gets encoded is Selective attention

Also known as working memory because these are memories we are currently working with and are aware of in our consciousness

• Short-term memory are temporary
• If we do nothing to them, they fade out in 10 to 30 seconds
• Our capacity is seven items

Expanding short-term memory by grouping or chunking

• Mnemonic devices are examples of chunking such as My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas

Permanent storage for memory

• the capacity is unlimited
• Episodic memory: memories of specific events
• Semantic memory: general knowledge of the world as facts
• Procedural memory: memories of skills and how to perform them like playing the violin

People who can remember things perfectly within seconds and still being able to retain it years later

• it occurs very rarely among people

Explains why we remember what we do by exmaning how deeply the memory was processed or thought about.

• Explains why we remember stories better than a simple recitation of events and why, in general we remember questions better than statements
• When we get caught up in a story or an intriguing questions, we process them deeply and remember them.

process of matching a current event or fact with one already in memory

• Ex) "Have i smelled this smell before"

retrieving a memory with an external cue

• Ex) What does my perfume smell like

primacy + recency effects

when recall of a list is affected by the order of items in a list

states that our brain might form new memories by connecting their meaning and context with meanings already in memory

• Our brain creates a web of interconnected memories

the greater likelihood of recalling an item when our mood matched the mood we were in when the event happened

• We are likely to recall happy events when we are happy and recall negative events when we are feeling pessimistic

phenomenon of recalling events encoded while in particular states of consciousness.

• Ex) rembering an appointment when you are about to go to sleep
• Alcohol and other drugs affect memory in similar ways

neurons cna strengthen connections between each other

Through repeated firings, the connection is strengthened adn the receiving neuron becomes more sensitive to the messages from the sending neuron.
Related to the connections in our long-term memory

Usually starts with infants

• Their babbles represents experimentation with phonemes
• Babies are caapable of producing any phoneme from any language in the world.

Behaviorists think that language is learned like other leraning behaviors: through operant conditioning and shaping

Cognitivists: points out the amazing number of words and language rules learned by children without instructions by parents.

Judging a situation based on examples of similar situations that coem to mind initially.

Might lead to incorrect conclusions due to variability in personal experience

Ex) a person may judge a neighbor is violent due to the fact that the person had experience with a violent neighborhood

Judging a situation based on how similar the aspects are to prototypes the person holds in his or her mind

Ex) a person might judge a person to be more likely to commit suicide because of a prototype of the depressed adolescent when, in fact, suicide rates are not higher in younger populations

Assuming or making judgement in a situation

• lead to specific problems in judgements that can turn out wrong

refers to the tendency to fall into establilshed thought patterns

• Most people will use solutions or past experience to try to solve novel problems
• this tendency prevents them from seeing a novel solution

the inability to see a new use for an object

Ex) Thinking that a pen can be used a screw driver

We tend to look for evidence that confirms our beliefs and ignore evidence that contradicts what we think is true

Ex) Thinking something is important when it's not

refers to the way a problem is presented

• presentation can change the way we view a problem or an issure
• Ex) The majority of my students have been able to solve this logic proble. The students would feel confident and not much of a challenge
• Researchers must be careful about unintentionally framing questions in ways that might influence participants in their studies

usually involves thinking of new ways to use what we are all familiar with new wyas to express emotions or ideas we share
Ex) painting

Little correlation between intelligence and creativity

Thinking for multiple answers to a questions.

closely associated with creativity