Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

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 
What causes diffi culties and failures in remembering?
• The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is the temporary 
inability to remember information that one is certain one 
knows. Retrieval cues are a major strategy for recalling 
information successfully. (p. 222)
• The levels-of-processing approach to memory suggests 
that the way in which information is initially perceived 
and analyzed determines the success with which it is 
recalled. The deeper the initial processing, the greater the 
recall. (p. 223)
• Explicit memory refers to intentional or conscious 
recollection of information. In contrast, implicit memory 
refers to memories of which people are not consciously 
aware but that can affect subsequent performance and 
behavior. (p. 224)
• Flashbulb memories are memories centered on a specifi c, 
important event. The more distinctive a memory is, the 
more easily it can be retrieved. (p. 225)
• Memory is a constructive process: We relate memories to 
the meaning, guesses, and expectations we give to 
events. Specifi c information is recalled in terms of 
schemas, organized bodies of information stored in 
memory that bias the way new information is 
interpreted, stored, and recalled. (p. 226)
• Eyewitnesses are apt to make substantial errors when 
they try to recall the details of crimes. The problem of 
memory reliability becomes even more acute when the 
witnesses are children. (p. 227)
• Autobiographical memory is infl uenced by constructive 
processes. (p. 229)
tip-of-the-tongue 
phenomenon p. 222
recall p. 222
recognition p. 222
levels-of-processing 
 theory p. 
223
explicit memory p. 224