Comprehensive List of Human Memory Phenomena in Psychology and Neuroscience

Generated with sparks and insights from 12 sources

Introduction

Memory phenomena refer to observable or measurable events related to memory processes such as Encoding, Storage, Retrieval, or Forgetting.
Key memory phenomena include recency, contiguity, similarity, primacy, and repetition.
Memory is divided into different types: Sensory memory, Short-term memory, Working memory, and Long-term memory.
Long-term memory can be further categorized into implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) memory.
Neuroscience of memory involves various brain regions like the Hippocampus, Neocortex, and Amygdala for different types of memories.

Sensory Memory: The shortest-term element of memory, it is the ability to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimuli have ended.
Short-Term Memory: Also known as primary or active memory, it holds a small amount of information in an active, readily available state for a short period.
Working Memory: A form of short-term memory that involves the manipulation and processing of information.
Long-Term Memory: The continuous storage of information, which is divided into explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) memory.
Explicit memory: Includes episodic memory (events) and semantic memory (facts).
Implicit memory: Includes procedural memory (skills) and emotional conditioning.

Recency: The tendency to remember the most recently presented information best.
Contiguity: The tendency to remember items that are close together in time or space.
Similarity: The tendency to remember items that are similar to each other.
Primacy: The tendency to remember the first items in a sequence better than the middle items.
Repetition: The tendency to remember information that is repeated.

Hippocampus: Critical for the formation of new explicit memories.
Neocortex: Involved in the storage of long-term memories and the processing of sensory information.
Amygdala: Plays a key role in the processing of emotions and the formation of emotional memories.
Fronto-Parietal Regions: Activated during working memory tasks.
Neural Mechanisms: Different types of memories are stored across various interconnected brain regions.

Interference: New information can interfere with the retrieval of old information (retroactive interference) and vice versa (proactive interference).
Decay: Memory traces weaken over time if they are not accessed.
Contextual Change: Changes in the context in which a memory was formed can make it harder to retrieve.
Inhibition: Repeated retrieval of similar memories can inhibit the recall of other memories.
Rehearsal: Repeatedly thinking about or rehearsing a memory can help to maintain it over time.

Context-Dependent Memory: Memory is better when the context at retrieval matches the context at encoding.
Mood-Dependent Memory: Memory is better when a person's mood at retrieval matches their mood at encoding.
State-Dependent Memory: Memory is better when a person's physiological state at retrieval matches their state at encoding.
Environmental Context: Physical surroundings can influence memory retrieval.
Semantic Context: The meaning of words and concepts can influence memory retrieval.