Amnesia  -  Amnesia is the loss of memory caused by damage to particular areas of the brain, most commonly the hippocampus.

Association Network  -  The association network is a term for the connections and associations that exist between items in memory.

Central Executive  -  The central executive is the part of working memory that controls our awareness of the information being held and manipulated in working memory.

Context-Dependent Memory  -  The context in which you learn an item can help you retrieve that item later. Context can include any variety of sensory stimuli present at time of encoding, including a particular place, smell, or sound.

Cue  -  Cues are bits of information present at the start of retrieval that help guide you to the correct item in memory.

Decay  -  Decay is the process by which memories naturally fade on their own over time, becoming weaker and more difficult to retrieve.

Deep Encoding  -  Deep encoding involves thinking about the meaning of the thing to be encoded, and drawing connections between that thing and other memories already in place. Deep encoding leads to easier retrieval later.

Digit Span  -  Digit span describes how many numbers a person can hold in short-term memory.

Encode  -  To encode an item or an experience is to enter it into one's memory. Also see shallow and deep encoding.

Episodic Memory  -  Memory that can be traced to a specific event with a specifiable date and time.

Explicit Memory  -  Explicit memory stores knowledge that we know we have. It encompasses semantic and episodic memories.

First-Letter Conversion  -  First-letter conversion is a mnemonic device in which the first letter of each item on a list is used to spell out a word or phrase, and that word or phrase is then encoded into memory.

Implicit Memory  -  Implicit memory is a system of storage that lacks awareness, yet can influence our decisions and learning abilities.

Interference  -  Interference in memory means that memories are lost over time because some items push other memories out to make room in the limited storage capacity. There are two types of interference: proactive and retroactive.

Intrusion Error  -  Intrusion errors occur when we insert an item or event that was not actually present into our memory.

Long-Term Memory  -  Long-term memory stores information that we want to keep for any long period of time--an hour, a week, or a decade.

Method of Loci  -  The method of loci is a mnemonic device in which each item is associated with a particular place on a preselected route. Remembering the route helps us to retrieve the items in order.

Mnemonic Device  -  Mnemonic devices employ tricks and shortcuts to help us encode items more easily.

Peg Word Technique  -  The peg word technique is a mnemonic device in which the items to be remembered are each associated with a word in a preselected rhyming phrase.

Phonological Loop  -  The phonological loop, made up of an inner ear and an inner voice, is the part of working memory that rehearses verbal information.

Priming  -  In priming, previously learned information stored in implicit memory can influence our thoughts even though we are not aware of the memory.

Proactive Interference  -  In proactive interference, older memories make it more difficult to encode new ones.

Recall  -  Recall is the process of retrieving items from memory with few or no cues to act as guides. In recall, a person needs to dig out some unknown piece of information to answer a question.

Recognition  -  Recognition is the process of retrieving items from memory in the presence of strong cues. In recognition, a person normally needs to decide only whether a given item is present in memory or not.

Rehearsal  -  Rehearsal means repeating an item over and over to commit it to memory.

Retrieval  -  The process of finding a sought-after memory and bringing it into awareness.

Retroactive Interference  -  In retroactive interference, new memories disrupt and "push out" older memories.

semantic memory  -  Facts, definitions, and knowledge that cannot be traced to a specific date or time of acquisition.

Sensory Store  -  Sensory store is a very short-term form of memory that holds for a few seconds everything that enters our senses, then discards it if we don't retrieve it immediately.

Shallow Encoding  -  Shallow encoding means focusing on superficial aspects of an item when trying to enter it into memory. Shallow encoding usually results in poor memory for the item, making it difficult to retrieve later.

Short-Term Memory  -  Short-term memory helps us keep information in mind over a short period of time, such as a few seconds or minutes.

Visuo-Spatial Sketch Pad  -  The visuo-spatial sketch pad is the part of working memory that controls mental imagery.

Working Memory  -  Working memory allows us to manipulate information as we hold it in our minds. According to Baddeley's model, working memory has three parts: the visuo-spatial sketch pad, the central executive, and the phonological loop.