BBS: Psychology of memory Flashcards
Describe the biological and psychological approach to memory.
- Biological (focus on structure) e.g. brain structure - usually based on memory impaired people
- Psychological (focus on process/function) e.g. recall tasks - both healthy and memory impaired people
Describe the 3 basic memory stages.
What is the role of attention?
Selector + Filter > avoid “overload”
Attent to relevant information
> Can be switched and divided i.e by fatigue/age
» ONLY what we attend to is processed further so it can enter memory stores
What is the capacity and duration of STM? How can it be increased?
Is there primary and recency effects with memory?
- Limited capacity (7 ± 2) but can be increased by ‘chunking’
- Limited duration (30 sec) but can be retained by rehearsal
>YES … high recall at start and end dip in middle
What does the WMM describe?
- STM is not passive… hold and uses info
- STM is not a unitary store
Describe the components of the WMM.
- Central executive: ‘Controller’, coordinates functions (e.g. task switching, selection, inhibition).
- Visuospatial sketchpad - Temporary storage and manipulation of visual information - inner eye
-Phonological loop- Holds speech based information
-Episodic buffer- Links with activated representations in long term memory.. holds multimodal information
Describe the components of the WMM.
- Central executive: ‘Controller’, coordinates functions (e.g. task switching, selection, inhibition).
- Visuospatial sketchpad - Temporary storage and manipulation of visual information - inner eye
- Phonological loop- Holds speech based information
- Episodic buffer- Links with activated representations in long term memory.. holds multimodal information
How is information encoded into LTM?
Effort, attention, reinforcement
- Info is actively consolidated e.g. rehearsal
BUT CAN BE UNCONSIOUS e.g. high emotional response activates amygdala and hippocampus
Describe the following memory systems:
1- Procedural
2- Perceptual representation
3- Semantic
4- Working
5- Episodic
- What are their sub-sytems?
- Is it implicit or explicit retrieval?
1- Procedural: Mechanical or motor related skills
2- Perceptual representation: Recognition of previously encountered stimuli (objects and words)
3- Semantic: General and factual knowledge.
4- Working: Higher probability of recognising previously perceived information
5- Episodic: Personal / autobiographical events.
How fast is retrieval?
Does context affect retrieval?
What happens to retrieval as we age?
- Quick+ automatic or effortful
- Context is important
- Ability to retrieve declines with age
What is recall and recognition?
- Recall - Accurate reproduction of previous learned event
- Recognition - Connecting current event with previous ….. not as affected by age as recall
Describe reconstruction of memory.
Is memory reliable?
- Memory is actively reconstructed not static … schema
> No, false memories and confabulation
What are 4 reasons why forgetting may occur?
1- Failure to store
* Encoding error so does not enter LTM
2- Retrieval
* Information will decay/fade over time
3- Interference
* Similar information can ‘compete’
4- Motivated forgetting
* Suppression (conscious) or repression (unconscious)
What is prospective memory?
- Remembering to do something in the future
How can we improve information giving?
1- Allow time, reduce distractions & avoid ‘overload’, attract & maintain attention
2- Keep advice specific & concrete
3- Remember primacy & recency effects
4- Repeat important information (ask patients to repeat & correct errors)
5- Use explicit categorisation
6- Use additional information aids
