7. Memory Flashcards
what are the stages of memory?
REGISTRATION: input from our senses into the memory system
ENCODING: processing and combining of received information (e.g. through repetition)
STORAGE: holding that input in the memory system (a process of consolidation) RETRIEVAL: recovering stored information from the memory system (remembering)
Registration is necessary for storage to take place but not everything that a person registers is stored
Something has to be stored to be retrieved but the fact that it is stored does not guarantee it will be retrieved on a particular occasion
what is the duration of memory?
SENSORY: seconds
WORKING/SHORT TERM MEMORY: minutes
LONG TERM MEMORY: indefinite period of time with infinite capacity
what is highly activated in traumatic moments? why is this an issue?
the limbic system which is very important in memory the transfer of sensory information to long-term memory in traumatic events can be disadvantageous
what are the types of long term memory?
•Non-Declarative Memory : knowing how
– familiarity with something, knowledge of how to interact with an object or in a situation without thinking about it
–Called procedural memory for actions or behaviours
–Complex activities can be carried out without thinking (e.g. walking and eating)
•Declarative Memory – store of our knowledge, knowing what
there are TWO types – episodicand semantic
–Episodic – memory related to personal experience (e.g. knowing what you did last night)
–Semantic – memory for facts and what we think of as general knowledge (e.g. knowing what the capital of France is)
Non declarative – the actions that we don’t even think about, but we had to learn at one stage.
Episodic – life memory
Semantic – facts i.e. for exams
what parts of the brain are involved in episodic memory?
- hippocampus - entorhinal cortex - mammillary bodies - parahippocampal cortex
Episodic Memory:
Involves the medial temporal lobes including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, mammillary bodies, and parahippocampal cortex
what are the different hemispheres of the brain concerned with?
left hemisphere: verbal information processing
right hemisphere: non-verbal information
what is the first step in committing information to memory?
ROTE - frequent repetition (verbal) of information - forms a separate schema, not closely linked to existing knowledge - least efficient - less deep processing
what is the second step in committing information to memory?
ASSIMILATION OF INFORMATION INTO EXISTING NETWORKS - fitting new information into existing schemas - learning by comprehension of meaning - deep processing aided by spaced retrieval
what does PQRST stand for?
P = preview the information to learn
Q = question, write down the questions you want to be able to answer once finished
R = read through information that best related to questions you want to answer
S = summarise the information
T = test yourself
what is the third step in committing information to memory?
MNEMONIC DEVICE - artificial structure for reorganising or encoding information to make it easier to remember
what are the unknown causes of memory problems?
VITAMINS Vascular Infectious Toxic-metabolic Autoimmune Metastases Iatrogenic Neurodegenerative Systemic
what is alzheimer’s disease?
disorientation for time and difficulty finding way around familiar places
what are the main features of memory disorders?
- drop in recall after delay - recognition as well as recall affected - intrusions/false positive responses
what are the features of transient global amnesia?
- lasts 4-5hrs - rare episodes - complete recovery - memory gap for the episode - preceded by physical/emotional stress - often in 50s-60s
what are the features of transient epileptic amnesia?
- lasts <30mins - recurring episodes if untreated - anti-epileptic medication usually eliminates episodes - patchy recall of the episode - personal or family history of epilepsy often present - younger patients also affected
what is retrograde amnesia?
loss of personal identity and intact new learning is unusual potential psychiatric cause
what are the strattegies for enhancing memory?
- By assimilation – linking words with previous knowledge/giving words a meaning e.g. ABC (airways, breathing, circulation), complication of MI (Darth Vader), surgical sieve (VITAMIN C D)
- Learn by mnemonics – e.g. Straight Line To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb (carpal bones)
what are schemas?
We construct memories by piecing together bits of stored information in ways that seem real and accurate
Schemas are mental constructs that help us predict what to expect from certain experiences or situations e.g. you will have certain expectations of the format of a lecture
Schemas can distort our memories by leading us to encode or retrieve information in ways that fit in with our pre-existing assumptions
Misinformation Effect: the distortion of a memory by misleading post-event information
Can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony
Source Confusion: our tendency to recall something or recognise it as familiar but to forget where we encountered it
how long does sensory memory, short term memory and long term memory lasts for?
Sensory memory is attended to only very briefly (<1-4 seconds) and disappears unless it is passed on for further processing.
Short term memory allows for the retention of a limited amount of information (7 +/- 2 items) for a short period (<60sec).
Information that is further encoded can be transferred to long term memory.
Long term memory is capable of storing an unlimited amount of information for an unlimited amount of time, although not necessarily so and may depend on depth of encoding, and active retrieval.
