chapter 7 Flashcards
3 retrieval methods
- recall
- recognition
- relearning
recall
Reproducing information stored in memory using little cues to aid retrieval.
• Free Recall – reproducing info in no particular order
• Serial recall – reproducing info in a specific order
• Cued recall – uses specific cues/prompts to help with recall
recognition
Identifying the correct information from a list of alternatives • E.g. Multiple choice questions
relearning
Learning the same information again
• The most sensitive measure of retention
methods of saving
- no. of trails taken to relearn
- time taken to relearn
reconstruction
In relation to memory, combining stored information with other available information to form what is believed to be a more coherent, complete or accurate memory; also called reconstructive memory.
eyewitness testimony
Any firsthand account given by an individual of an event they have seen.
Elizabeth Loftus researche
Loftus terminology
- leading questions
- presupposition
- critical question
EXP 1
- 45 volunteer university students viewed 7 videos of car crashes
- asked to estimate the speed
- 5 conditions based on the verb used in the critical question
EXP 1 results
- the more intense the verb, the higher the estimated speed
- distorted by the presupposition verb
- bias where the partipants adjusted their estimates to fit in with the researchers expectations
EXP 2
- 150 volunteer university students participants viewed a 1 minute clip that showed a 4 second scene of a car crash
- 3 conditions for 3 seperate questions -
- A week later the asked to answer 11 questions about the scene with one critical question. broken glass.
EXP 2 results
- The wording for the first critical question influenced the answer to the second critical question
- More participants reported having seen broken glass from the “smashed” group (16) than the other
two groups, which is statistically significant. - memories can be altered by post event exposure to inaccurate info during questioning
forgetting
is the inability to retrieve previously stored info from memory.
important for survival and sanity
brain trauma
any damage that occurs to the brain resulting in the ability to function normally e.g. inflicted injury (e.g. blow to head) or acquired injury (e.g. from a stroke)
amnesia
a loss of memory, either partial or complete which may be temporary or permanent e.g. anterograde & retrograde amnesia
neurodegenrative disease
A progressive decline in the structure, activity and function of brain tissue e.g Alzheimer’s
effects of brain trauma on memory
- neurodegenrative disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- amnesia
anterograde amnesia
Loss of memory of experiences that occurs after brain trauma
- lies in the transference of information from STM into LTM
experienced by people w Korsakoff’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. inflammation and damage to hippocampus and thalamus, often associated with chronic alcoholism
comparison to retrograde amnesia
- Loss can extend back from moments to years
- Usually temporary but very common to permenantly loose the memory of the moment leading up to trauma
Effects of Brain Surgery: hippocampus
- (H.M.) was a split brain patient who had his medial temporal lobe removed.
personality and basic functioning remained unchanged, however was left with permanent anterograde amnesia
established that the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe are involved in or play a role in LTM formation
Effects of Brain surgery: amygdala
STM, implicit (procedural) & episodic memory is not affected
• LTM implicit ‘classically conditioned memory’ affected (produce fear response).
alzimers disease / dementia
neurodegenerative diseasecharacterised by the gradual widespread degeneration of brain neurons, causing memory loss, a decline in cognitive & social skills & personality changes
alzheimers post mortem
high levels of the protein Amyloid and
Causes the development of the plaques and tangles, highly toxic
also have a massive lack of acetylcholine
plaques
are dense deposits of amyloid protein and other cellular material that gather around and between neurons. (Plaques are hard and insoluble – can’t be broken down/dissolved)
tangles
are twisted masses of fibres that build up around the neurons and can also penetrate the neurons.
- cause cellular destruction of an Alzheimer’s brain.
symptoms of alzheimers
• Memory loss, confusion, irritability, personality changes and impaired decision-making are common symptoms.
Explicit & implicit memories also impaired (episodic greatly affected)
Context-dependent cues
environmental cues in the specific situation (context) where a memory was formed that act as retrieval cues to help access the memories formed in the context.
EG retracing your steps to find your lost keys
State-dependent cues
associated with the individual’s personal internal physiological (physical) &/or psychological state at the time the memory was formed, and act as retrieval cues to help access those memories.
EG. Hiding money when drunk, can only find it when drunk again, not sober
retrieval cue
is any stimulus that assists the process of locating and recovering information stored in memory.
encoding specificity principle
states that the more closely the retrieval cues match the original learning conditions, the more likely the info will be recalled
two types of cues
- Context dependent cues
* State dependent cues
rehearsal
is the process of actively and consciously manipulating information to keep it in STM for longer than the normal 18 -30 sec.
Maintenance Rehearsal
Repeating information over and over usually vocally (out loud) or sub-vocally (in your head).
- info will stay a long time in STM
- not nessesariliy in LTM
Elaborative Rehearsal
Links new information to existing knowledge (or other new knowledge) in a meaningful way
- effective in transferring information into long-term memory, especially when using personal link
Serial position effect
is a finding that free recall is better for items at the end and beginning of a list than for items in the middle.
primacy effect
Superior recall of items at the start of the list
recency effect
Superior recall of items at the end of the list (most recently experienced)
leading question
can manipulate the reconstruction of memory Leading questions have content or are phrased in such a way to suggest the desired answer
effect of brain surgery on cerebral cortex
result in serious memory impairments.
interferes with efficiency scubas the attention required to transfer info from sensory to stm .
and organising efficiently for retrieval in LTM
effect of brain surgery on cerebellum
problems with coordination and timing of voluntary movement.