Chapter 7 Flashcards
Memory
Collection of several systems that store information in different forms for differing amounts of time
Atkinson-Shiffrin Model
3 memory stores: Sensory Memory, Short term memory, long term memory
Stores: Retain information in memory without using it for any specific purpose
Control process: Shift information from one store to another
Sensory Memory
Memory store that accurately holds perceptual information for brief amount of time
Iconic (visual)-0.5-1s
Echoic (auditory) -5-10s
Spotlight of attention:
Small amount of information from sensory is sent to STM for further processing
Information out of spotlight not transferred, unlikely to be remembered (change blindness)
Short Term Memory
Memory store with limited capacity and duration
Approx 30s
Magical number: 7(+-2)units of info
Chunking
Organizing smaller units of info into larger meaningful units
Long Term Memory
(Encoding from STM to LTM)
Holds information for extended-permanent periods of time
Organization:
1.Semantic (meaningful categories)
2. How the word ‘sounds’ and ‘looks’
-tip of the tongue phenomenon
Retrieval: accessing memory LTM and returning to STM
Serial Position Effect
People are generally able to recall first few items from a list and last few items, but not middle items
Proactive Inferference
First information learned occupies memory
Leaves less resources for newer information to be remembered
(LTM)
Retroactive Interference
Recently learned information blocks older memories not yet encoded into LTM
(STM)
During Recall(Primary)
Hippocampal Activation
(Formation of LTM)
During Recall(Recency)
Brain regions associated with sensory (hearing, vision) more active
Working Memory
A model of short term remembering that includes a combination of memory components that can temporarily store small amounts of info for short period of time
Stimuli are encoded in a number of different ways
3 storage components
1. Phonological loop
2. Visuospatial Sketchpad
3. Episodic Buffer
Phonological loop
Storage component relying on rehearsal
-store info as sounds or auditory code
Visuospatial Sketchpad
Store component that maintains visual images and spatial layouts in Visuospatial code
Episodic Buffer
Storage component that combines phonological loop and Visuospatial Sketchpad into story like episodes
Allows you to organize and make sense of incoming stimuli
Central Executive
Control center of working memory
Coordinates attention and exchange of info among 3 storage components
Focuses attention on component most relevant to a person’s goals, interests and prior knowledge
Controlled by frontal lobe regions
LTM systems: Declarative (Explicit) Memories
Memories we are consciously aware of and can speak about
1. Semantic Memory
-Facts about the world
2. Episodic Memory
-organized as episodes
-first person
LTM memory systems: Non-declarative (implicit) memories
Unconscious behaviours
1. Procedural Memory
-learned patterns of muscle movement
2.Classical Conditioning
-potentially unconscious learning associations between two paired events/stimuli
Long Term Potentiation(LTP)
Increase in connectivity and communication between nerve cells that fire together
These strengthening synapses may be underlying mechanism allowing memories to form
Consolidation
Converting short term memories to long term memories in the brain
Cellular consolidation- connections between neurons becoming more permanent (via LTP)