Chapter 5 - Memory Flashcards
8 questions
memory
memory refers to the ability to store information. to consolidate it, and to retrieve it at a later point in time
what are the 3 stages of memory and what what do they do?
Sensory memory: sensory memory is kept for a few seconds or less
Short-term memory: non-sensory information can enter STM where it is kept longer (less than a min). repetition can ensure that information is retained in STM (7 items +/-2)
Long-term memory: if information is retained long enough in STM, chances increase for storage in LTM. during recall, information is retrieved from LTM to STM (almost unlimited storage capacity)
visual sensory memory
a fast decaying store of visual information
auditory sensory memory (echoic memory)
a fast decaying store of auditory information
recency effect is larger for auditory than visual items
chunking
combining small pieces of information into clusters to help hold information in STM
working memory (Baddeley and Hitch)
STM is made up of operations and processes that enable us to work with information in STM. Active maintenance and manipulation of STM information is referred to as working memory.
dual-task interference
performance on one task drops when a simultaneous task taps into the same system
can be explained by separate systems for verbal (phonological loop) and spatial (visuospatial sketchpad) information
what are the 3 codes information is stored in?
verbal: semantic level
visual: mental images that are not easily translated into language (like faces)
motor: motor programs that underly activities such as speaking, walking, etc.
the primary function of LTM is remembering which involved what 3 stages?
encoding: transforming information into an enduring memory
storage: maintaining memories over time
retrieval: brining stored information back into consciousness
long-term memory: endcoding
use of schemas: mental models of the world that help us to encode information in a meaningful way for us
elaborative encoding: relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory
visual imagery encoding: storing new information by converting it to mental pictures
organizational encoding: categorizing items based on relationships between them
Wilder Penfield
the first neurosurgeon who performed brain surgeries on patients with epilepsy. he discovered the motor and somatosensory cortex by stimulating awake patients brains with electrical currents
Richard Semon
believed that memory is/are stored in a physical location somewhere in the brain, but never found the location
Karl Lashley
studied the engram by removing parts of the brain in animals and subsequently examined whether they had forgotten earlier trained responses or whether learning became impaired.
how are memories represented in the hippocampus?
changes in the synaptic connections between neurons. this long-term potentiation - a persistent strengthening of synapses on patterns of activity - has been convincingly demonstrated in the hippocampus
how are memories stored?
memories are ‘stored’ as microscopic chemical changes at the connecting points between neurons in the brain
long-term memory: retrieval
successful retrieval of memory often depends on the presence of an appropriate cue
retrieval is better then the individual is in the same state as during encoding
distinctive events are easier to remember
Tulving and Thomson
a retrieval cue is most effective when it closely matches the original encoding context
explicit memory
conscious/intentional retrieval of information
- semantic
- episodic
implicit memory
past experiences influence later behavior even though people are not aware of remembering those past experiences
- procedural
- priming
episodic memory
allows for ‘mental time travel’ and helps to construct cohesive narratives of our lives based on connecting past and present
- flashbulb memories: detailed recollections of when and where we received shocking news
- autobiographical memory: personal record of significant events in one’s life
emotional arousal increases memory for details
Hermann Ebbinghaus
was the first to conduct experimental studies on memory: if something cannot be remembered, does it imply that the memory no longer exists, or that it cannot be found
forgetting curve (rather universal)
memory declines rapidly right after learning, followed by a slower decline.
interference
is an obstruction in the retrieval of a memory event that is stored in LTM. usually, one memory interferes with the other because they are similar.
blocking and tip-of-the-tongue experiences
information cannot retrieved despite conscious effort
is memory accurate?
memory is not always accurate. memory is a constructive process during which errors can occur.
false memories/recognitions are easily evoked if they fit into a certain scheme
absentmindedness
a lapse in attention resulting in memory failure
suggestibility (Loftus and Palmer - car crash study)
the tendency to incorporate misleading information into personal recollections
Schacter’s 7 sins of memory
transience, absentmindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence
retrograde amnesia
inability to remember events or experiences that took place prior to the event that caused amnesia
anterograde amnesia
inability to create new memories after the event that caused amnesia
transient global amnesia
a sudden loss of memory with both an anterograde and retrograde component
dissociative amnesia
memory loss of information about one’s life caused by a traumatic or stressful event. often problems are transient but not always.
