3.3 Flashcards
what is memory
the capacity of the brain to encode info, store it, retain it and then retrieve it when needed
explain encoding
information must be converted into a form that the brain can process and store
explain storage
retaining the info over a period of time
explain retention
the ability to recall or recognise what has been learned or experienced
explain retrieval
recovery of the stored material from either the short-term or long-term memory
what do memories include
past experiences, knowledge gained and thoughts had
what are the 3 levels of memory
sensory, short term and long term
how does info travel through the brain
it first passes through sensory memory and then enters STM. info is then either transferred to LTM or discarded.
what does sensory memory do
retains all the visual and auditory input received for a few seconds
is everything encoded into the stm
no only a select few
what is the main type of info that enters the STM
visual or auditory images
how many items can the stm hold
about 7
how long can the stm hold info for
around 30 seconds
how accurate is retrieval of items during this time
very accurate
if items from stm aren’t transferred to ltm what happens to them
they are lost displacement or decay
how can someone’s stm be measuredn
by finding out the number of ‘meaningless’ items that they can reproduce correctly and in order, immediately after seeing them or hearing them once
how can memories be kept in the stm
by rehearsal
what is the serial position effect
it is when you recall a series of objects and most items remembered are at the start (primary effect) or end (recency effect) of the sequence
why does the primary effect occur
because there has been some time for rehearsal
what is the recency effect due to
displacement or decay of the earlier objects
what does chunking do
improve the capacity of the stm
what is chunking
when you group items together to make a single item
eg 01698337598
01698 337 598
what can the stm do with data
process it and store it (to a limited extent)
how can the stm perform simple cognitive tasks
because it can process data & store it to a limited extent
