Chapter #6: Attention & Memory Flashcards
Information Processing Model
a computer metaphor to explaoin how people process stimuli
What 3 assumptions is the Information Processing Model based on?
- People are active participants in the process
- Quantitative and qualitative aspects of performance
- Processed through a series of processes
Sensory Memory
brief and an almost identical representation of the stimuli that exists in your mind in the abscence of the stimuli itself
Speed of Processing
how quickly and efficiently the early steps in information processing are completed
Processing Resources
the amount of attention one has to apply to a particular situation
Inhibitory Los
older adults have difficulty inhibiting the processes of irrelevant information
Attentional Resources
issues through lens of attention
Divided Attention
concerns how well people perform multiple tasks simultaneously
* Age differences appear when tasks become complex
* Can be minimalized with training/practice
* older adults focus on the task more important to them
Automatic Processing
Memory processing that requires minimal demands of attention, and can be encoded without consciously being aware of it
Effortful Processing
requires all of the available attention, deliberate effort, and rehearsal
Encoding
the process of gathering information into the memory system
Storage
involves the manner in which information is represented and kept on/in memory
Retrieval
pulling information back out of memory
Short Term/Working Memory
the active proccesses and structures involved in holding information in the mind and simultaneously using that information
* short capacity
Rehearsal
the process by that information is held in working memory, either by repeating items over and over by making meaningful connections
* decrease in spatial memory than visual
Implicit Memory
a.ka. Procedural Memory
involves retrievl of information without conscious or intentional recollection
Explicit Memory
a.k.a. Declarative Memory
intentional and conscious remembering of information learned and rembmered at a specific point in time
Long-Term Memory
the ability to remember rather extensive amounts of information from a few seconds to a few hours to decades
Semantic Memory
conscious learning and remembering the meaning of simple words and concepts
Episodic Memory
the generla class of memory having to do with the conscious recollection of information from a specific event ir point in time
What are 2 phenomenons of knowing the information but unable to recall it?
Tip of the Tongue
Feeling of Knowing
Recall
a test where people are asked to remember information without hints or cues
* Older adulst are more likely to include more intrusions and repeat
Recognition
involves selecting previously learned information from among several items; multiple choice tests, picking out names
* Older adults are more likely to recognize items that were never presented
Strategy
anything people do to make the task easier and increase the efficiency of encoding or retrieval
* Older adults tend to use fewer
Prospective Memory
involves remembering to remember something in the future
* Event Cue - completing an event before moving onto another
* Time Cue - doing an event at a certain time
Autobiographical Memory
involves remembering information and events from our own life
* Combines episodic and semantic memory
Flashbulb Memory
memories for personally traumatic or unexpected events
* tend to feel real, believe they are highly accurate down to small details
Source Memory
the ability to remember the source of a familiar event as well as the ability to determine if an event was imagined or actually happened
Older adults are less accurate
* Have issues connecting the item to be remembered within context
False Memory
is when one remembers items or events that did not occur
* people tend to recognize false information and be confident in it
Cognitive Reserve
factors that provide flexibility in responding and adapting to changes in the environment
What are the factors of Cognitive Reserve?
- Exercise
- Multilingualism & Cognitive Functioning
- Semantic Memory in service of Episodic Memory
- Negative Stereotypes & Memory Performance
How does Exercise help preserve memory?
- increased neural plasticity
- increase gray matter volume
- reduces brain atrophy
How does Multilingualism preserve memory?
- stronger functional connecting in parietal-frontal network
How does Semantic Memory help preserve memory?
older adults perform better when using previously learned semantic information to support episodic knowledge
How does Negative Stereotypes impact memory preservation?
- older adulst may not perform at optimal levels because they are aware and threatened by stereotypes
- The belief that age hampers memory ability
External Aids
memory aids that rely on environmental resources
e.g. notebooks, calendars
Internal Aids
memory aids that rely on mental processes
e.g. imagery
Metamemory
memory about how memory works and what one believes to be true about it
Memory Monitoring
the awareness of what we are doing with our memory right now
Age differences in Metamemory
Older adults….
* seem to know less about internal workings of memory and capacity
* view memory as less stable
* perceive they have less direct control over memory
Memory Self-Efficacy
the belief one will be able to perform a specific task
* Older adulst with lower memory self-efficacy perofmr worse
