Chapter 5 Flashcards
Define acquisition, storage and retrieval
Aquisition: The process of gaining information and placing it into memory
Storage: holding information in memory until it is needed
Retreival: bringing the memory into active use
why can’t we separate memory acquisition and storage
Because what we learn (acquisition) depends heavily on what we already know (storage)
Define information processing approach
an approach to theorizing in which complex mental events (learning,remembering,deciding) are understood as being built out of a large number of discrete steps occuring one by one, with each providing output to the next step in the sequence
Who described the Modal model?
An early version was first described by Waugh and Normon (1965) which was later refined by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
Describe the Modal model
information is first stored briefly in sensory memory (iconic - visual and echoic -auditory) selection and interpretation move info to working memory (both the storage site for new info and loading dock for memories from long term memory)
* a series of stages through which info is detected, recognized, stored and retrieved
Why do we now use the term working memory?
to emphasize the function of this memory, ideas/thoughts/memories are currently activated. it is not a “place” it is a status
- current and fast
Define long term memory
Vast repository that contains all of your knowledge and all of your beliefs
what are the 4 differences between working memory and long term memory?
- size: WM is limited in size, LTM is vast
- Getting info in: easy for WM and hard for LTM
- Getting info out: easy for WM, effortful and slow for LTM
- Fragility: contents of WM are fragile while LTM are not
define free recall
repeating back a list of words in any order
Describe the serial position curve
A data pattern in a U shape showing people are best able to remember first-presented items (PRIMACY effect) and last presented items (RECENCY effect)
define memory rehearsal
repeating a word over and over to one’s self
explain the primacy and recency effect
Primacy: first few words had more rehearsal time and more chance of being transferred to LTM
Recency: The last few words are still in working memory and are easily accessible at recall
How do we eliminate recency effects without eliminating primacy effects?
Use an activity (counting backward) interpolated b/w the list and recall to displace working memory content
Does delaying recall for a few seconds after the list have an impact on recency effect
NO because the last few words are still in working memory
how do we eliminate primacy effects
Slow down presentation of words so there is more rehearsal for all words
Does slower presentation effect recency effects?
NO because WM is affected by size not ease of access
what does fMRI prove about word list recall
memory for early items depends on areas around the hippocampus which is associated with LTM
What is a person’s digit span?
The number of digits the person can echo back without making an error (typically 7 or 8 items)
How many items can working memory hold?
7 plus-or-minus 2 items or ‘chunks’
what is the cost attached to chunking?
a considerable amount of effort and attention goes into repackaging the information, leaving less attention for rehearsal of the information
the man who organized numbers into finishing times could remember how many digits? does this mean his working memory has a higher capacity?
79! No the only thing that has changed is his chunking strategy, he still only has 7 slots, since when tested with letters he only remembered 6.
* strategies are specific to material and are not transferable
in the modern conception of working memory it is less of a place and more of a ______?
status - because there is no location in the brain specific to WM
* makes sense because it requires effort to keep info active, it doesn’t just sit in storage
how do modern researchers measure WM capacity?
Operation span - measures while WM is actually working!
* tests capacity and efficiency
explain the reading span task
participants are asked to read aloud a series of sentences and must later recall the final words of each. therefor subjects are storing something in memory while simultaneousely working on other material
what are some advantages people with larger WMC have?
advantage in reading, reasoning, academic tests adn staying focus (not letting their minds wander)
What does the central executive do
selection and sequence of thoughts, the ‘work’ in working memory. Involved in planning and decisions
when don’t we use the executive
For keeping ideas in mind that will be needed soon (the executive can then focus on more important matters)
what are the executives helpers
visuo-spatial buffer and the articulatory rehearsal loop (the inner voice and the inner ear)
- must be repeated thus requires periodic input from central executive
What are executive control processes needed for?
sequence, set goals, make plans, also help you Rise above routine - but they can only work on one task at a time
What are the two types of rehearsal
Maintenance rehearsal: rote mechanical process, involving repeating items without thinking about meaning or relations
- items are not established in memory = no long term benefits
Relational or Elaborative rehearsal: How the items realate to eachother and things you already know
- difficult, requires effort
________rehearsal is vastly superior to _____ rehearsal
relational, maintenance
give real life example of how maintenance rehearsal doesn’t establish info in memory
People don’t know what’s on the face of a penny regardless of having multiple encounters with it
What did fMRI studies of people studying and recalling a list of words show
-Greater levels of brain activity( in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) were related with better retention later on
What are the two types of learning
Intentional - learning knowing info will be tested later on
Incidental - learning in the absence of any intention to learn
What were the results of the experiment comparing intentional vs. incidental learning in memory formation (how pleasant)
3 incidental groups, “find the e”, “how many letters” and “how pleasant”
RESULTS: the ‘how pleasant’ group recalled the words much better than the other two, and in addition performed just as well as the intentional learning group. Meaning intention doesn’t add much
Explain the experiment comparing the influence of level processing on memory, and the effect of intention
Shallow processing (Upper or lower case) - did the worst Moderate processing (does it rhyme) - did better Deep processing (does it fit the sentence) or in other cases are these words synonyms - did the best * regardless of intention the results were the same across the groups in each type of processing
What is the influence of intention
- intention to memorize does have an indirect impact because:
1. without intent to learn we may just do maintenance processing
2. With intent we will select the strategy we think best and different people choose different strategies - however it is the APPROACH not the intention that determines how well we remember
Explain how deep processing may influence subsequent events
info arrives in memory regardless of processing. But at the time of arrival what matters is how they are catalogued so they can be found later on
ex. library
What are memory connections? when are they established
memory connections allow one memory to trigger another to lead you to the information you seek. These connections are largely established in learning.
- you can have connections between items, or between the item and the context in which it was learned
How does deep processing promote the formation of connections in memory
By thinking about the meaning of items you are in turn thinking about their relations to each other and the outside world
Why does elaborate processing lead to better recall?
Because the richer sentences offer the potential for many connections between new ideas and provide a wide set of retrieval paths
Define retrieval paths
paths that guide your thoughts towards the content to be remembered
What did german psychologist George Katona argue is the key to making connections
key = organization. And organization and memorization are inseparable. we memorize well when we impose order on the material
Describe several mnemonic strategies
- all mnemonics impose organization by using a skeleton or scaffold that is tightly organized
1. First letter mnemonics (ie. ROY G. BIV)
2. Visualization strategies (imagining the words in some relationship)
3. Peg-word systems (1 is bun, 2 is shoe) and creating an image relating those words to something you wish to remember
How do mnemonics help memory?
They impose an organization on materials thus establishing connections between the materials and an easily remembered structure
What is the downside to mnemonic use in memorization
It is a trade off, by focusing on one or two memory connections (ie. the first letter) less attention is spent on other connections that could help you understand the material and thus remember it better.
How do we enhance memory for more complex and rich stimulus? example
The same principles apply!
- you’re ability to remember depends on your ability to organize.
- HOWEVER you remember best what you understand best
ex. Those who performed better in reading comprehension, recalled the text more accurately after a delay
How did experimenters manipulate whether participants understood a passage and what were the results/what did they prove
They gave an ambiguous passage with or without a title.
- Participants who received the title and therefor understood the content recalled better than those who did not.
- shows that memory is dependent on understanding
How can understanding lead to enhance memory in visual images?
ex. Dalmation picture - those who saw the hidden form remmbered the image better than those who saw a meaningless pattern of blotches
What does the memorizer bring to the table in predicting the success of memory
- They choose a strategy
- They bring their own prior knowledge, providing either a rich or poor framework for new info to be woven into
What does chunking depend on?
It depends on understanding, and understanding depends on prior knowledge
What are the steps in the information processing approach
incoming info –> early analysis –> working memory (maintenance) –> long term memory
- some info is lost and not sent to long term
- when info is retrieved it comes back into working memory
dissociation b/w _____ effect for long term ememory and ____ effect for working memory
primacy, recency
What is the trade off when using chinking
The larger the chunk the fewer there can be
What types of info can WM hold. What controls working memory?
- The things we are currently thinking about abstract, concrete, images, smells, words, sounds alone or in combination
- Coordinated by the Central Executive (response selection, goal setting, planning)
What types of errors are likely in recalling letters?
Sound alike errors, because we are using the artculatory rehearsal loop which creates a trace of pronunciation. E doesnt get confused with F, but gets confused with C?
When you interfere with the working memory’s inner voice what are you measuring?
the capacity of the system minus the capacity of the rehearsal loop
How did the “D’ word experiments demonstrate the weakness of maintenance rehearsal
told to remember the last D word on the list. then at the end told to remember all of them. Recall was no better if there were more non D words in between
- this means simple maintenance doesn’t increase recall
What is the method of loci strategy (steps
To remember info in order
- commit to memory a series of loci
- convert TBR information into images and placeThose images at the loci
- retrieval, in order, occurs as you imagine walking through the building
What is required for the method of loci to be successful?
– Images should be precise and dynamic
– Locations should be of intermediate size
– Locations should be distinctive
(Different from one another so they won’t be confused)
Does storing multiple items in one location during the method of loci cause problems?
- same results for one word and 2 at each
- 3 or more caused recall to drop dramatically
when subjects recieve a list of random words, how will they organize them at recall
into categories
How did the Tulving study demonstrate that tight organization leads to beter recall
Subjects recall a list of words 3 times. If the second recall order is similar to the first then recall will improve for the third trial.
WHat are the two types of interference? examples?
• Proactive Interference :Previous learning hurts new learning
ex. you learn a list of flowers, then another list of flowers and then another. you start to lose track of which were learned on which trial
• Retroactive Interference: New learning interferes with previously learned stuff
ex. subject who learn list a, then list b then recall a, perform worse than those who had a rest between learning and recall
having to produce the information through _____ is more effectine than _______
retrieval, repetition (from outside source)
How did the baloon paragraph demonstrate the importance of understanding vs. context
people who got the picture after reading did just as bad as those who never got any context. Those who got context before adn therefor understood the passage recalled twice as many ideas
what is the effect of prior knowledge and context on recall
provides a structure for the ideas at encoding time
– when abstract ideas are difficult to comprehend, they are quickly forgotten
– when there is a base of knowledge, connections between ideas become apparent
Does organization of info and forming links require attention?
YUSS