AP PSYCHOLOGY OUTLINE
Chapter 9: Memory
I. Phenomenon of Memory
a. What are some things we use our memory for?
b. What is a flashbulb memory? Examples of this? How does the comic of Bambi's mom
demonstrate these memories?
c. Information Processing: What are the three stages we go through to get information into and
out of our memory?
II. Encoding
a. How we encode
1. What is automatic processing? An example from your life?
2. What is effortful processing? An example from your life?
i. To process effortfully we need to rehearse. What does this mean?
ii. What doe the 'next in line effect', spacing effect and serial position effect have
to do with memory?
b. What we encode
1. What is visual encoding? An example? How do mnemonics work with this?
2. What is acoustic encoding? An example?
3. What is semantic encoding? An example?
4. How are chunking and hierarchies involved with organizing what we encode?
III. Storage: Retaining Information
a. Sensory Memory: what are the two types of sensory memory? Define. How long do items
typically stay in our sensory memory?
b. Short-Term Memory: how many items do we typically hold here? How long does this stage of
memory last?
c. Long-Term Memory: what is this memory exactly?
d. How are synaptic changes involved in storage? What exactly is long-term potentiation?
1. How are stress hormones involved in memory?
2. What is the difference between implicit and explicit memories? Examples of each?
3. How are the hippocampus and cerebellum involved in storing memories?
IV. Retrieval: Getting Information Out
a. How are recall and recognition part of this process?
b. How does relearning help with retrieval?
c. What are some popular retrieval cues?
1. How do context effects help us to retrieve information? Mood congruent?
2. How does déjà vu work regarding retrieval?
V. Forgetting
a. How is encoding failure involved in forgetting? Example?
b. What are some examples of storage decay?
c. Retrieval failure is what?
i. What is proactive interference? Example?
ii. What is retroactive interference? Example?
d. Why would there be motivated forgetting? What are some items we might repress?
VI. Memory Construction
a. What is the misinformation effect? How does this work when a person witnesses a car
accident for example? How are imagination effects involved?
b. How is source amnesia involved in memory construction?
c. Why do we need to be careful with children's recall?
d. What are some of the arguments for and against repressed memories?
VII. Improving Memory
a. List and describe at least 5 items you can use to help you study