Chapter 6: Long-Term Memory (Structure) Flashcards
Long-Term Memory (LTM)
a memory mechanism that can hold large amounts of information for long periods of time
long-term memory is one of the stages in the modal model of memory
Serial Position Curve
in a memory experiment in which participants are asked to recall a list of words, a plot of the percentage of participants remembering each word against the position of that word in the list
Primacy Effect
in a memory experiment in which a list of words is presented
enhanced memory for words presented at the beginning of the list
Recency Effect
in a memory experiment in which a list of words is presented
enhanced memory for words presented t the end of the list
Coding
the form in which stimuli are presented in the mind
for example, information can be represented in visual, semantic, and phonological forms
Proactive Interference
when information learned previously interferes with learning new information
Release from Proactive Interference
a situation in which conditions occur that eliminate or reduce the decrease in performance caused by proactive interference
Recognition Memory
identifying a stimulus that was encountered earlier
stimuli are presented during a study period; later, the same stimuli plus other, new stimuli are presented
the participants’ task is to pick the stimuli that were originally presented
Hippocampus
a subcortical structure that is important for forming long-term memories, and that also plays a role in remote episodic memories and in short-term storage of novel information
Mental Time Travel
according to Tulving, the defining property of the experience of episodic memory, in which a person travels back in time in his or her mind to re-experience events that happened in the past
Autobiographical Memory
memory for specific events from a person’s life, which can include both episodic events and semantic components
Personal Semantic Memories
semantic components of autobiographical memories
Remember/Know Procedure
a procedure in which subjects are presented with a stimulus has encountered before and are asked to indicate if they remembered
if they remember the circumstances under which they initially encountered it, or know, if the stimulus seems familiar but they don’t remember experiencing it earlier
Semanticization of Remote Memories
loss of episodic details for memories of long-ago events
Constructive Episodic Stimulation Hypothesis
the hypothesis proposed by Schacter and Addis that episodic memories are extracted and recombined to construct stimulation of future events
Explicit Memories
memory that involves conscious recollections of events or facts that we have learned in the past
Implicit Memories
memory that occurs when an experience affects a person’s behavior, even though the person is not aware that he or she has had the experiences
Procedural Memories
memory of how to carry out highly practiced skills
procedural memory is a type of implicit memory because although people can carry out a skilled behavior, they often cannot explain exactly how they are able to do so
Skill Memory
memory for doing things that usually involve learned sjkulls
Expert-Induced Amnesia
amnesia that occurs because well-learned procedural memories do not require attention
Priming
a change in response to a stimulus caused by the pervious presentation of the same or a similar stimulus
Repetition Priming
when an initial presentation of a stimulus affects the person’s response to the same stimulus when it is presented later
Propaganda Effect
people are more likely to rate statement they have heard or read before as being true, just because of prior exposure to the statements
What is long-term memory?
“archive” of information about past events and knowledge learned
works closely with working memory
storage stretches form a few moments ago to as far back as one can remember
more recent memories are more detailed
What is serial position?
Murdoch (1962) studied the distinction between short-term and long-term memories using the serial position curve
read stimulus list, write down all words remembered
short and long term memory work together to explain the serial position effect
when given a list of items to remember, people tend to recall the first and last items in the list better than words in the middle
What is the primacy effect?
memory better for stimuli presented at beginning
more time to rehearse, more likely to enter LTM
so the slower pace was in presenting the list, the bigger primacy effect
What is the recency effect?
memory better for stimuli presented at end of list
stimuli still in STM
so if some delay between the test and the study, the recency effect will be eliminated
What is recognition memory?
identification of a previously encountered stimulus
What is an example of visual coding in short term memory?
holding an image in the mind to reproduce a visual pattern that was just seen
What is an example of visual coding in long term memory?
visualizing what the Lincoln Memorial looked like when you saw it last summer
What is an example of auditory coding in short term memory?
represetning the sounds of the letters in the mind just after hearing them
What is an example of auditory coding in long term memory?
repeating a song you have heard many rime before, over and over in your mind
What is an example of semantic coding in short term memory?
placing words in an STM task into categories based on their meaning
What is an example of semantic coding in long term memory?
recalling the general plot of a novel you read last week
What happens to memory when the hippocampus is removed?
retained short term memory (STM) but unable to transfer info to long term memory (LTM)
unable to form new LTMs
What happens to memory when the parietal lobe is damaged?
impaired STM (reduced digit span) but functional LTM
able to form and hold new memories
What is implicit (non-declarative) memory?
unconscious memory
procedural
What is priming?
previous experience changes response without conscious awareness
What is explicit (declarative) memory?
episodic: personal events/episodes
semantic: facts, knowledge
conscious recollection of events experienced and fact learned
What is episodic memory?
tied to personal experience; remembering is reliving
“self-knowing” (remembering)
What is semantic memory?
does not involve mental time travel
general knowledge, facts
“knowing”
What is the separation of episodic and semantic memories?
evidence from brain-imaging experiments that retrieving episodic and semantic memories activate different areas of the brain
What are the interactions between episodic and semantic memories?
episodic can be lost, leaving only semantic
acquiring knowledge may start as episodic but then “fade” to semantic
semantic can be enhanced if associated with episodic
What is autobiographical memory?
memory of specific experiences, includes semantic and episodic
What is personal semantic memory?
semantic memories that have personal significance
What is the effect of time on memory?
typical research finding are that forgetting increases with longer intervals from the original encoding
What is the remember/know procedure?
remember if a stimulus is familiar and the circumstance under which it was encountered
know if the stimulus is familiar but don’t remember experiencing it earlier
don’t remember the stimulus at all
What is the semanticization of remote memories?
loss of episodic details for memories of long-ago events
What is the constructive episodic stimulation hypothesis?
episodic memories are extracted and recombined to create simulations of future events
helps us to anticipate future needs and guide future behaviors
adaptive function similar to mind wandering
What is procedural memory?
skill memory: memory for actions
no memory of where or when learned
perform procedures without being consciously aware of how to do them
people who cannot form new LTMs can still learn new skills
What is repetition priming?
presentation of one stimulus affects performance on that stimulus when it is presented again
