Chapter 7 part 1 Flashcards
encoding and storage
what is memory?
the retention of information or experiences over time
what is an easy definition of encoding?
writing it down
what is an easy definition of storage?
filing it away
what is an easy definition of retrieval?
bringing it back out
what is the first step in the memory process?
encoding
what is encoding?
the process of taking information in through your senses and translating it into a form that your brain can “write down” and store for later use
does encoding happen automatically or does it take effort?
sometimes encoding happens automatically and sometimes it takes effort
are encoding processes simple or complex?
they are pretty complex
what are the encoding processes?
- selective attention
- levels of processing
- elaboration
- mental imagery
what is selective attention?
focusing on a specific aspect of an experience while ignoring others
stimuli compete for ________
our attention
is selective attention constantly working?
yes, the only exception is when we are in a coma
what are the characteristics of selective attention?
- we can only fully attend to one thing at a time
- items compete for our attention (cocktail party effect)
- inattention leads to encoding failure
what you are selectively attending to is _________________________
at the expense of everything else
what is an example of the cocktail party effect?
at a party sitting at a table with other people having a conversation with the woman across from me. the man next to me is having a conversation with someone else but I fully tune out his conversation until I hear my name and my attention is pulled away from the woman and I look at the person who said my name
what is levels of processing?
a continuum of memory processing ranging from shallow processing to deep processing
depending on the level at which you process ____________________________
you will encode different levels of information
what are the levels of processing?
- shallow
- intermediate
- deep
what is shallow processing?
physical features are analyzed
what is intermediate processing?
recognition and labeling
what is deep processing?
meaningful characteristics
what is an example of shallow processing?
can tell you there were colors, a text, and an image on the billboard
what is an example of intermediate processing?
read the words on the billboard but didn’t take the time to understand what they mean (no comprehension)
what is an example of deep processing?
spend time looking at the information on the billboard and comprehend it and relate it to experiences in my life
what is elaboration?
the “web” of connections, associations, and relevant meanings given to a stimulus
when does elaboration happen?
happens when, in order to encode something, you spend time relating that thing to other things you already know
is it easier or harder to retrieve the information you elaborate on?
much easier
what is mental imagery?
creating a mental “story” or scene around a stimuli that we would like to remember
how does mental imagery help with encoding?
it is much easier to remember a definition / piece of information when you imagine it happening
what is the dual-code hypothesis state?
memory is stored in two ways: verbal code and picture code. Mental images are remembered better because it contains both picture and verbal codes.
what is an easy way to remember the dual-code hypothesis?
picture and words attached to a piece of information = encoded two ways = easier to remember
what is the second step in the memory process?
memory storage
what is memory storage?
how information is retained over time and represented in memory
what is the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory and how many stages are in it?
it is the most popular theory for memory storage and has three stages
what are the stages of memory storage in the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory?
- sensory memory
- short-term memory
- long-term memory
what is sensory memory?
first step of memory storage process. holds information in your mind for a very brief period of time
what are the types of sensory memory?
echoic sensory memory and iconic sensory memory
what is echoic sensory memory?
auditory sensory memory that lasts up to several seconds
what is iconic sensory memory?
visual sensory memory that lasts about a quarter of a second
what type of sensory info can your brain hold without you paying attention?
auditory sensory info
what is short-term memory?
limited capacity memory system which stores information for approximately 30 seconds without effort.
what is another name for short-term memory?
working memory
how can you keep information in short-term memory for longer?
by keeping your attention on that information = rehearsal
what is the capacity of short-term memory?
we retain 7 +- 2 items of information in our short term memory
what is chunking?
tricking your short-term memory into accepting more than 7 pieces of information by grouping information into meaningful units / chunks
what is the duration of short-term memory without effort?
around 30 seconds
what is the effect of rehearsal on short-term memory?
by rehearsing the information (keeping it in our mind) you can keep the information in your short-term memory longer
what is the effect of distractors on short-term memory?
the distractor shifts our attention fully to something else, so what was in our short-term memory is lost and we forget it
what is the last step in memory storage?
long-term memory
what is long-term memory?
can store unlimited amounts of information for a long time
what are the two types of long-term memory?
- declarative or explicit memory
- nondeclarative or implicit memory
what is declarative or explicit memory
conscious memories for people, places, events, facts, dates, feelings, and explanations. basically, memory for who, what, where, when, and why
what is episodic memory in declarative or explicit memory?
memory for events in your life. autobiographical memory
what is semantic memory in declarative or explicit memory?
memory about the world. general common knowledge
what is an example of episodic memory?
remember getting up and getting dressed this morning
what is an example of semantic memory?
what year was the signing of the declaration of independence or what is the meaning of a word
what is nondeclarative or implicit memory?
non-conscious memories for skills, procedures, subliminal information, and classically conditioned responses. memory for how
what is an easy way to remember nondeclarative or implicit memory?
muscle memory
what is an example of nondeclarative or implicit memory?
someone wants you to teach them how to ride a bike, but you can’t tell them which muscles to use, your body just knows how to do it
are different areas of the brain responsible for declarative and nondeclarative memory?
yes
what part of the brain is needed for declarative memories?
hippocampus
what part of the brain is needed for nondeclarative memories?
cerebellum
how do we know there are two types of long-term memory?
Henry M.
Clive Wearing
what did Henry M. show?
he had damage to the hippocampus and couldn’t form new memories but could form new skills and nondeclarative memories. everyday he would wake up and think it was the day after the seizure stopping surgery where they removed his hippocampus
what did Clive Wearing show?
he got encephalitis and it destroyed his hippocampus and some of his long-term memories. every few minutes, he feels like he’s coming out of a coma and doesn’t know what’s going on. he writes it down that he’s awake each time this happens
