ch 8- Memory Flashcards
Shallow processing
occurs when you encode the structure of the stimuli; for example, whether letters are in capitals or not
Intermediate processing
occurs when you encode what a word sounds like (phonemic); for instance, do two words rhyme, or, recognizing patterns of angles in order to perceive an object is a car.
Deep processing
is where we encode meaning (semantic); the more you attach meaning to something, the more efficiently it will be encoded.
deep processing techniques
- elaboration
- visual imagery
- self-referent encoding
- organization
Self-referent encoding
is where you make information relevant to you.
Visual imagery
where you use images to convey meaning.
Sensory memory
is a sort of holding bin, where we decide, using selective attention, what to keep and what to throw away.
The phonological rehearsal loop
Rehearsal is still required to keep information from leaving
the visuospatial sketchpad
We hold and manipulate visual images e.g., trying to picture how your furniture would look reorganized
The executive control system
Controls attention, switching attention between tasks
The episodic buffer
Interface between working memory and long-term memory
Schemas
are organized clusters of information based on previous experiences/expectations
Semantic networks
are kind of like the conceptual hierarchies but are links between related concepts that are linked because of your own personal experiences.
The Parallel distributed processing model
states that memories depend not on a physical code on your brain’s surface, but patterns of activated networks.
Retrieval cues
stimuli that help us gain access to our memories
encoding specificity for context
There is encoding specificity for context whereby one cue for retrieval is the environment in which you encoded the information
encoding specificity for mood/state
whereby being in the same mood you were when you encoded information helps to cue its retrieval.
Misinformation effect
the recall of events that are altered by misleading information
Source monitoring
where we monitor where the memory came from.
Alzheimer’s disease
most common form of dementia, usually beginning with mild memory problems, lapses of attention, and problems in language, and progressing to difficulty with even simple tasks and recall of long-held memories.
amnestic disorders
organic disorders in which memory loss is the primary symptom.
anterograde amnesia
ongoing inability to form new memories after an amnesia-inducing event.
automatic processing
Whether we choose to express these emotions can depend on what we’ve been told about whether it’s appropriate to express emotion. Some cultures allow for more expression than others; some environments (work vs home) may also have different rules
chunking
grouping bits of information together to enhance ability to hold that information in working memory.
context
the original location where you first learned a concept or idea, rich with retrieval cues that will make it more likely you will be able to recall that information later if you are in that same location or context.
decay theory
theory of forgetting, suggesting that memories fade over time due to neglect or failure to access over long periods of time.
dementia
severe memory problems combined with losses in at least one other cognitive function, such as abstract thinking or language.
effortful processing
encoding of information through careful attention and conscious effort.
encoding
a basic activity of memory, involving the recording of information in our brain.
encoding specificity principle
a theoretical framework that asserts that memory retrieval is more efficient when the information available at retrieval is similar to the information available at the time of encoding.
episodic memory
a person’s memory of personal events or episodes from his life.
explicit memory
memory that a person can consciously bring to mind, such as your middle
flashbulb memories
detailed and near-permanent memories of an emotionally significant event, or of the circumstances surrounding the moment we learned about the event.
implicit memory
memory that a person is not consciously aware of, such as learned motor behaviours, skills, and habits.
information-processing model
view of memory suggesting that information moves among three memory stores during encoding, storage, and retrieval.
interference theory
theory that forgetting is influenced by what happens to people before or after they take information in.
long-term memory
the memory system in which we hold all of the information we have previously gathered, available for retrieval and use in a new situation or task.
long-term potentiation (LTP)
a phenomenon where repeated stimulation of certain nerve cells in the brain greatly increases the likelihood that the cells will respond strongly to future stimulation.
memory
the faculty for recalling past events and past learning.
memory consolidation
process by which memories stabilize in the brain.
memory span
maximum number of items that can be recalled in the correct order.
mnemonic devices
techniques used to enhance the meaningfulness of information as a way of making them more memorable.
neurofibrillary tangles
twisted protein fibres found within the cells of the hippocampus and certain other brain areas.
parallel distributed-processing (PDP) (or connectionist) modelparallel distributed-processing (PDP) (or connectionist) model
theory of memory suggesting that information is represented in the brain as a pattern of activation across entire neural networks.
potentiation
synchronous networks of cells firing together.
prefrontal cortex
important brain structure located just behind the forehead and implicated in working memory.
priming
activation of one piece of information, which in turn leads to activation of another piece, and ultimately to the retrieval of a specific memory.
proactive interference
competing information that is learned before the forgotten material, preventing its subsequent recall.
prospective memory
ability to remember content in the future.
recall tasks
memory tasks in which people are asked to produce information using no or few retrieval cues.
recognition tasks
memory tasks in which people are asked to identify whether or not they have seen a particular item before.
rehearsal
conscious repetition of information in an attempt to make sure the information is encoded.
repression
process in which we unconsciously prevent some traumatic events from entering our awareness so that we do not have to experience the anxiety or blows to our self-concept that the memories would bring.
retrieval
a basic activity of memory, involving recovery of information when we need it later.
retroactive interference
learning of new information that disrupts access to previously recalled information.
retrograde amnesia
inability to remember things that occurred before an organic event.
retrospective memory
ability to remember content from the past.
schemas
knowledge bases that we develop based on prior exposure to similar experiences or other knowledge bases.
semantic code
cognitive representation of information or an event based on the meaning of the information.
semantic memory
a person’s memory of general knowledge of the world.
senile plaques
sphere-shaped deposits of a protein known as beta-amyloid that form in the spaces between cells in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and certain other brain regions, as well as in some nearby blood vessels.
source misattribution
remembering information, but not the source it came from; can lead to remembering information from unreliable sources as true.
spaced practice effect
facilitated encoding of material through rehearsal situations spread out over time.
state-dependent memory
memory retrieval facilitated by being in the same state of mind in which you encoded the memory in the first place.
storage
a basic activity of memory, involving retention of information for later use.
working memory
a short-term memory store that can hold five to nine items at once.
Elaboration
where you link a stimulus to other information at the time of encoding; in order to attach meaning to something, we need to elaborate on it
What can we hold in sensory memory?
auditory, visual, and physical stimuli
The phonological rehearsal loop
Rehearsal is still required to keep information from leaving
The visuospatial sketchpad
We hold and manipulate visual images e.g., trying to picture how your furniture would look reorganized
The executive control system
Controls attention, switching attention between tasks
The episodic buffer
Interface between working memory and long-term memory
hippocampus (parallel distributed processing model)
helps to consolidate memories
amygdala (parallel distributed processing model)
implicated in us remembering fear
prefrontal cortex (parallel distributed processing model)
helps us understand the timing of memories and the executive functions of working memory
