Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

Study Alert
Except for Alzheimer’s dis-
ease, memory disorders are 
relatively rare. 
BECOMING AN 
INFORMED CONSUMER 
of Psychology
Improving Your Memory
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R E C A P / E V A L U A T E / R E T H I N K
K E Y T E R M S 
R E C A P 
Why do we forget information?
• Several processes account for memory failure, including 
decay, interference (both proactive and retroactive), and 
cue-dependent forgetting. (p. 233)
What are the major memory impairments?
• Among the memory dysfunctions are Alzheimer’s 
disease, which leads to a progressive loss of memory, 
and amnesia, a memory loss that occurs without other 
mental diffi culties and can take the forms of retrograde 
amnesia and anterograde amnesia. Korsakoff’s syn-
drome is a disease that affl icts long-term alcoholics, 
resulting in memory impairment. (p. 235)
• Among the techniques for improving memory are the 
keyword technique to memorize foreign language vo-
cabulary; using the encoding specifi city phenomenon; 
organizing text material and lecture notes; and practice 
and rehearsal, leading to overlearning. (p. 237)
E VA LU AT E
1. If, after learning the history of the Middle East for a class 
two years ago, you now fi nd yourself unable to recall 
what you learned, you are experiencing memory 
, caused by nonuse.
2. Diffi culty in accessing a memory because of the presence 
of other information is known as 
.
3.
 
interference occurs when material is diffi cult 
to retrieve because of subsequent exposure to other 
material; 
interference refers to diffi culty in