Chapter 6: LTM Flashcards
Coding
the form in which stimuli are represented in the mind
Long-term memory
memory systems which store all the experiences and knowledge we gather throughout our lifetime; information that doesn’t need to be actively maintained
Coding of LTM
exact auditory and visual traces are less precise as memories become abstracted into semantic and episodic form
Types of retrospective LTM
semantic memory and episodic memory
Prospective LTM
the ability to act in the future based on plans made in the past; association between internal or external cue and instruction must be strong enough to cause remembering at the right time
2 main systems of LTM
explicit and implicit memory
Explicit or declarative memory
memories that we consciously seek to store and retrieve
Wickens et al. coding experiment findings
decline in recall due to proactive interference is attributed to the meaning of words or words belonging to the same category (e.g. all fruits)
Release from proactive interference
increase in recall performance due to a change in semantic content (e.g. from professions to fruits)
Recognition memory
the identification of a stimulus that was encountered earlier (e.g. multiple choice exam); tested by presenting a stimulus during a study period then presenting it again alongside new words (lures) later on; different from recall
What is the predominant type of coding in STM and LTM tasks?
auditory coding (e.g. rehearsing a phone number) in STM and semantic coding in LTM
Effect of removal/damage of hippocampus on memory
inability to form new long-term memories while STM is still intact (e.g. Henry Molaison); loss of episodic memory but semantic memory still intact
Coding of STM
comprised of visual, auditory, semantic, and episodic traces; actively represented in the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex
Coding of STM
comprised of visual, auditory, semantic, and episodic traces; actively represented in the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex
Role of hippocampus in STM
involved in maintaining novel information in memory during short delays
Dual coding theory (Pavio)
LTM consists of verbal/linguistic and spatial/imagistic codes; words that are remembered better are easier to visualize
Episodic memory as mental time travel (Tulving)
self-knowing or remembering; the experience of traveling back in time to reconnect with events that happened in the past
Experience of semantic memory (Tulving)
accessing knowledge about the world that you are familiar with but doesn’t have to be tied to remembering a personal experience
Autobiographical memory
memory for specific experiences from our life, which can include both episodic and semantic components
Personal semantic memories
facts associated with personal experiences
Autobiographically significant semantic memories
semantic memories involving personal episodes (e.g. public figures with autobiographical significance)
Semanticization of remote memories
loss of episodic detail over time; remembering declines more than knowing
Familiarity
remembering details about a person, like their name, but not details about specific experiences involving that person
Recollection
remembering specific experiences related to a person
Constructive episodic simulation hypothesis
episodic memories are extracted and recombined to construct simulations of future events, especially from a third-person perspective
Effect of damage to the default mode network
problems in retrieving autobiographical memories
Implicit memory
learning from experience without consciously remembering that we are doing so; mental functions that can be performed automatically in the background
Types of implicit memory
procedural, priming and conditioning
Types of explicit memory
semantic and episodic
Procedural or skill memory
stored knowledge that allows us to behave skillfully; sometimes cannot remember the process of learning the skills and unable to give a complete account of how the task should be performed (expert-induced amnesia)
Expert-induced amnesia
well-learned procedural memories, like an expert pianist playing a piece, doesn’t require attention as skills are carried out automatically
Priming
the presentation of one stimulus (priming stimulus) changes the way a person responds to another (test stimulus) without conscious awareness
Repetition priming
when the test stimulus is the same as or resembles the priming stimulus
Propaganda effect
participants are more likely to rate statements they have read or heard before as being true
Classical conditioning
pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus that has a reflexive response
