CHAPTER 7 | MEMORY Flashcards
Define memory
basic retention of information over time
what does memory involve?
involves:
1) encoding (getting information into the brain)
2) storage (retaining information)
3) retrieval (getting it back out)
what was James mcgaugh famous quote?
“if you lose the ability to recall your old memories then you have no life. You might as well be a rutabaga or a cabbage”
what happened to Henry molaison?
they removed his hippocampus to cure his seizure which it did cure it but it created deficits in terms of creating new memories. he lived his life in an enduring present.
define working (short term) memory and the capacity
memory you use for information you are actively working on. Temporary storage of information
-capacity is 5 to 9 buts
which people don’t have working short memory?
young children
define primacy effect
- give example
primacy effect is the ability to retain the fist items of a big chunk of information.
ex: remember 1,3,4,5,6,8
primacy effect is remembering the first numbers on the list
define recency effect
- give example
the ability to retain the last items of a big chunk of information
ex: remember 1,3,4,5,6,8
recency effect is remembering the last numbers on the list
define serial position effect
- give example
difficulty remembering the middle numbers of a big chunk of information
ex: remember 1,3,4,5,6,8
serial position effect is having a hard time remembering the middle numbers with is normal
define chunking and when is it used
- give example
usually when we have a huge chunk of data we have to memorize, we automatically organize items into familiar and manageable units.
define maintenance rehearsal and give an example
repeating stimuli in their original form to retain them in short term memory.
ex: studying for an exam, you repeat the information like flashcards repeatedly to retain them for short time memory to pass the test
name the 3 types of levels of processing and which one is the most shallow, less shallow and deepest
1) visual
2) phonological (sound-related)
3) semantic (meaning related)
- most shallow is visual
- less shallow is phonological
- the deepest is semantic
define shallow, medium and deep processing
shallow= surface level
medium= words rhyming
deep=meaningful processing more recollection happens in this processing
define long term memory
enduring (from minutes to years) retention of information stored regarding our facts, skills and experiences
define explicit memory and the 2 types
explicit memory: memories we recall intentionally and of which we have conscious awareness
1) episodic memory: recollection of events in our lives
2) semantic memory: Our knowledge of facts around the world
define implicit memory and the 2 types with examples
which part of brain?
implicit memory: the process of recalling information we don’t remember deliberately
1) procedural memory: referring to motor skills and habits
- Example: opening a door with a key
2) priming memory: refers to our ability to identify stimulus more easily or more quickly when we’ve previously encountered a similar stimuli
brain:
procedural leaning =cerebellum
perceptual learning and priming = amygdala
what are other subtypes of implicit memory?
3) perceptual memory
4) classical conditioning
define encoding specificity and give an example
when you store an item in memory, the memory is not just of the item stored but also the context in which the memory occurred.
-Example: memorize the words “ jelly jam fruit”. when asked to identify the words they saw in the list “ traffic jam slow” they will won’t be able to identify it because they identify jam with jelly or fruit thinking about ( food) and not traffic.
define schema and provide an example
an organized knowledge structures that we’ve stored in memory. they capture the broad pattern of what is typical in a situation. it helps because the connection promotes retrieval. They help interpret new situations
ex: if you and a friend go to a brand new restaurant, even though its your first visit, you have a pretty good idea of what’s in store. thats because you possess a schema for eating at a nice restaurant.
if we are not careful what can schemas result in?
oversimplification/over generalizing of events
- can produce intrusion errors where other knowledge intrudes into the remembered event*
ex: if you are asked to memorize a list of words then later presented a new list of words to remember. when asked to say the words on the second list, you will make a mistake and include some words from the first list
define mnemonics and give an example
a learning aid, strategy or device that enhances recollection
example: abbreviation of a concept to remember it like SOH CAH TOA
define peg-word systems
using rhyming. associate each number with a word that rhymes with each number. the more bizarre the rhyming is, the better chance you’ll remember it
ex: 1 is a bun, 2 is a shoe, 3 is a tree, 4 is a door
define method of loci and give an example
relies of imagery of places, locations.
-example: visualize a familiar room in detail then imagine the items need to be remembered in various parts of the room. ex: to remember 10 items on the grocery list, visualize walking in your kitchen and associating these items with something in hopes to remember them
what is a con of mnemonics?
they can help you remember items but not the meaning/definition
what law did ebbinghaus state?
we tend to remember things better in the long run when spread our learning over long intervals than when we pack it into short intervals
which principle is one of the best-replicated effects in all of psychology?
law of distributed versus massed practice
what does cramming cause?
it odes help us remember the information for that exam but it typically produces poor long-term retention
which study method Is better for long term retention?
spaced studying and repeated self-testing
define source confusion
people offer remember a face but forget the circumstances in which they saw it
define misinformation effect
incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of how an event unfolded.
“memory is like a storage chest in the brain” true or false
FALSE
“the more confident one’s memory is, the more likely it is to be accurate” true or false
FALSE
what are the 4 factors that make memories easier to plant?
1) plausible
2) repeated over time
3) imagined by the subject
4) given to suggestible people
