Chapter 8 Memory Flashcards
Compare “memory” vs. “a memory”
Memory - refers to the structures and processes involved in both storage and retrieval of information
A memory - refers to recollection of a specific event
Define “search metaphor” and provide examples
- most common way to describe the mind
- a way of describing processes involved in memory using phrases that relate them to looking around in physical/virtual space
- can be “opened” or “closed”
- a place that you can be “out of” when feeling strange or disoriented
How does search metaphor contrast with thoughts and memories?
Thoughts and memories are actual things of the mind
- they are objects to be held, have texture, and can be looked at
Phrases like “__________” and “__________” both describe the _____ ___________ language that we use when discussing how memory works
“bringing it to the front of your mind” and “finding a solution” both describe the “active search-oriented” language
What did Plato and Aristotle describe memory as? What other metaphors were used for memory?
a wax tablet, experiences pressed into the tablet create shapes and patterns of writing
Others:
- rooms of a house
- a library
- a purse
Define “failure of search” and its limitations
failure of search - inability to remember something
- does not adequately describe many kinds of memory errors
Can search metaphors efficiently explain probelsm with memory?
No, it cannot explain why we have trouble remebering things we see often
True or False: Memory is more about the present than the past
True
What is a better term for “search metaphor”? Define and explain its significance
Reconstruction metaphor - describes how we primarily use memory to put together a useful response, using both what we know and the situation around us
(memory takes info from the environment to help trigger useful memories)
Memory as the combination of both info in environment and what you have stored shows how memory _______
forms an adaptive response
encoding
the process of how info is initially learned (how our brains commit an event to memory)
-> it is about acquiring info***
encoding problem
the problem the brain must solve to encode information (transforming an experience into a memory)
storage
the process of maintaining info about an event over time (short or long)
-> it is how info is physically represented in the brain***
storage problem
the problem the brain must solve to maintain info in the brain over time
examples of encoding vs. storage
encoding - studying for a math test by doing as many different example math problems
storage - studying how the brain represents memories physically
steps of encoding
- info in the world needs to be translated into the electrochemical language of the brain (through sensation process)
episotic memory + 2 examples
the reliving of previous episodes (Blade runner vs. Clive wearing)
List the flow of the various human memory systems and their durations
- Human Memory (3 categories) -> sensory (< 1 sec), short-term (working, < 1 min), long-term (life-time)
- Types of long term memory: Explicit (conscious) and Implicit (unconscious)
- Types of explicit: Declarative (facts, events) -> episodic (events) and semantic (facts)
- Types of implicit: Procedural (skills, tasks)
Define sensory memory and the following:
1. who studied this?
2. what did the study focus on?
3. what is the importance of sensory memory?
Sensory memory - a system that keeps info translated by the senses briefly active in a relatively unaltered, unexamined form
- George Sperling (cognitive psychologist)
- visual sensory memory (iconic memory)
- actively holds on to a limited amt of info so we can manipulate + process it
- it bridges gap from perception to memory, allowing us to perceive the world as a unified whole rather than a series of staggered images + sounds
This memory system is often a “sensory trace”
sensory memory
Explain the 2 types of sensory memory. Explain George Sperling’s relation to this, and examples for each. How long do each last?
- Iconic - visual form of sensory memory, afterimages on retina
- icon: is the neuronal activity that loiters in our brain
- Sperling (1960) only showed blocks of letters for one 20th of a second (50ms), had partial report x3 (what is initially available), and full report (what is available by the end of responding (lasts ~second)
- Echoic - auditory form of sensory memory, an echo: lingering neuronal activity in the auditory system
- reflecting: remembering the last few words of a convo. w/out paying attention
- e.g. “what? effect”, “5-3-5-7-2-stop” game
- Iconic lasts 1 second, Echoic lasts 4 seconds
- Both are brief (a few 10th’s of a second)
Every ____ system contains a _____, something that holds onto ______ info even if it disappears
sensory, buffer, sensory
This memory system uses “the conscious mind” to work with and use memory.
short-term (working) memory
This memory system is also known as “immediate memory”
short-term/working memory
Define working memory and its importance
working/short-term/immediate memory: a system that actively holds on to a limited amt of info (at front of mind) to be manipulated and processed
- holds 1st part of sentence while you read the rest
- moment-to-moment thought processes that are guided by immediate memory
- benefit is can keep goals in mind to help navigate the world
limitations to working memory, what is a use for it?
- fairly fragile and capacity limited
- you are holding on to info rather than actively remembering (it is like RAM in a computer - random access memory)
- requires a great deal of mental effort to keep things in working memory
- used for short-term storage, and can be usedfor transferring info to long-term memory
what are the 3 characteristics of immediate memory? Explain each in detail.
- Representation - info a memory system contains, described in terms of how this info is represented or “coded”
- most errors in immediate memory are sound-alike errors (b instead of p), though these (auditory) are the primary mode of coding info in immediate memory - Duration - in terms of forgetting, it is how long a memory system can contain info in immediate memory before it is forgotten
- duration is indefinite w/ rehearsal, 3 seconds w/ out - Capacity - how much info can be held in a memory system at any one time
- typically considered to be whatever you can rehearse in ~2 seconds
- Magic number 7: av. person can hold ~7 pieces of info at a time
- More precisely, 7 +/- 2
- not the number of items in immediate memory that defines capacity, but simply how long it takes to rehearse info to yourself
- can improve capacity with chunking
Define “Inner voice”, how do we know it exists?
- an example of representation (in immediate memory)
- mental experience of hearing yourself talk “in your head”
- how we know it exists: evidence from immediate recall errors
(most errors in immediate memory are sound-alike (b instead of p)
Most errors in immediate memory are _______? Primary mode of coding info is _______?
sound-alike errors (b instead of p), auditory (sound-alike errors)
Most info we interact with daily usually only need ______ coding, ______ and ______ text are how we consume and produce meaningful info.
auditory, speech, writen
Define “inner eye”, how do we know it exists?
- an example of representation (in immediate memory)
- mental experience of seeing something using imagination
- used as evidence for visual representation in immediate memory
- how we know it exists: elephant + goose example, need to mentally “zoom in”
Mental imagery represented by ________ found to use the same brain structures as ______, this indicates they are very similar in general.
inner eye, perception
Rehearsal
- the process of repeating info to “re-hear” info over again
- keeps info active in immediate memory
how was rehearsal used to investigate limits of immediate memory?
Lloyd + Margaret Peterson (1959):
- asked participants to remember groups of 3 consonant letters (CWN)
- when rehearsal was interrupted, recall dropped a lot after ~3 seconds
- they prevented rehearsal by telling participants to count backwards from a large number by 3’s
- after 12 seconds, participants could only guess
what is the average person’s memory span?
5-9
memory span
the number of items that can be kept active in immediate memory at one time
____ of memory is what you can rehearse in ___ seconds
capacity, 2
Define chunking, why is it used?
a process of arranging info into compact, meaningful “chunks”, so they can be easily rehearsed in immediate memory
- used b/c drawing on knowledge cannot be done when the layout is meaningless or impossible
working memory redux
- relates to questions that are new
- info is brought together to form an answer to a new question
- same as working memory model
working memory model
- AKA conscious awareness
- a model of immediate memory that emphasizes its role for manipulating info in consciousness
- immediate memory is NOT for just storage, therefore it is called WORKING memory, not short-term/immediate
when you think about things, it is our _____ memory.
working
define the 2 places that information exists in working memory
- Phonological loop - system in working memory that temporarily stores + manipulates auditory and verbal info
it is the manifestation of the inner voice - Visuopatial sketch pad - system in working memory where visual and spatial info is stored + manipulated
it is the representation of the inner eye model
central executive
- structures and controls processes
- hypothetical portion of working memory model, that directs activities of working memory (phonological loop + sketch pad)
- also directs flow of info b/w working memory <—> long-term memory
encoding
- associates new info what what we have (bed, followed by breakfast, followed by dog walk, ironing clothes, shower, dress, etc.)
- making memories requires work(ing memory)
strong memory is not about ____, it is about ____,_____, and “____ coding”.
size, organization, connections (each becomes a memory cue), dual coding (concept maps)
enhancing transfer
- transfer appropriate processing and state dependent memory
retrieval
- the testing effect
- role of retrieval practice and how it enhances memory
retrieval practice significance in relation to brain anatomy
HERA - hemispheric encoding / retrieval asymmetry
- Left prefrontal cortex:
- encodes info into EPISODIC memory
- semantic memory retrieval (b/c episodic encoding usually involves semantic memory retrieval)
- words - Right prefrontal cortex:
- episodic memory retrieval
- unfamiliar faces
best study methods in order, what is the most effective?
- Retrieval practice: combined 2 study sessions with retrieval practice
- Repeated study
- Concept mapping
- One study session
Thus, it is better to study followed by practice, rather than study then more studying
What factor helps with memory retrieval (for example, recalling info during a test)?
context
- e.g. if you learn something in a happy mood, take the test with a happy mood
state-dependent memory
“emotional” states
- it is an internal context
the closer the ____ and ____ contexts match, the better will be the transfer of memory
study and test/exam contexts
transfer appropriate processing
- internal context
- engaging in similar processes at both encoding and retrieval
- tends to enhance recall on a final test (e.g. multiple choice test - discriminate terms in a list, etc.)
input for perception
sensory systems (the world)
input for memory
long-term memory
compare the 4 brain lobes in their roles for using input + perception to plan and guide actions
Frontal lobe - combines perceptions of the world w/ goals and intentions
Parietal, Temporal, Occipital lobes - get input from the world (sensory system + long-term memory)
uncertainty
- brain assumes or ignores info in ways that allow it to “make sense”
- relies heavily on past experiences to decide what “makes sense”
2 parts of memory
- Familiarity
- Recollection (brain has figured it out)
- these 2 are an example of trying to recognize someone you know*
How is memory reconstructive?
there are certain aspects of an experience that we deeply encode in the brain, but when we try to remember, our brain adds things that may not be there
- every time we relive something in our mind, we are recreating and storing info
perceptual fluency
a type of implicit memory that brings familiarity (b/c brain does not like feeling uncertain)
long-term memory, and when is it used?
memory systems used to store and recall info over extended periods of time
- used whenever you are cued to remember info that was previously encoded
- many psychologists believe it is limitless in total storage capacity
types of long-term memory
- Episodic memories: recall what happened
- memories that pertain to specific events (“episodes”)
- they are autobiographical memories based on specific events that you experienced and coded
- explicit/declarative - Semantic memories: recall what something is
- memories whose contents relate to specific facts and pieces of meaningful info NOT based on personal experience
- relate to meaning without specific context
- useful for language by recognizing patterns of letters that have meaning
- useful for general knowledge, like fire is hot and sharp things are dangerous
- explicit/declarative - Procedural memories: recall how a process of a task is completed
- memories whose contents pertain to how something is done (e.g. motor skills for walking or riding a bike)
- people are often good at recalling procedural memories, but have poor insight into the contents (hard to explain how to tie a shoe)
- resistant to amnesia, suggesting that it operates on a different level than episodic/semantic memory
- implicit
how can long-term memory be created?
elaborative rehearsal, specifically the 4 types of elaboration (imagery, relating info to yourself, organizing info, processing info distinctively)
elaborative rehearsal and its significance
process of actively manipulating info in immediate memory to meaningfully connect it to other info that is already stored (in long-term memory)
- it is the solution to the encoding problem
- “levels of processing experiment”: demonstrates effectiveness of elaborative rehearsal
2 types of processing, which helps remember more information?
deep processing - encoding new info through meaningful connections to existing knowledge
- encodes info semantically (based on meaning)
shallow processing - encoding info based on surface characteristics
*Deep processing is more helpful (Craik + Tulvig experiment)
4 effective encoding strategies
- spacing/spacing effect: observation that learning is most effective when repeated exposure to material occurs over a longer time frame
- massed practice (cramming): repeated exposure to info over short time periods, w/ out gaps (less learning occurs during 5th/6th repetition compared to 1st/2nd) - mmemonics: improve memory by providing framework for encoding + recall
- engage processes that fit naturally w/ brain structure: thinking functionally about memory
- adaptive memory
- strategy to remember ordered info (PAO) - retrieval (retrieval practice/”testing effect”): phenomenon that repeated retrieval of info is more useful for long-term memory than other tasks
Examples of mmemonics
ex 1: peg-word technique: provides both order + imagery to a list of items, relating to a rhyme (“1 is a bun, 2 is a shoe”)
ex 2: method of loci (“places”): a person places info along well-known pathway (way to school or work)
- route provides structure for info, while imagining the route and contents gives meaningful imagery
- used in ancient Rome + Greece to remember oral histories, stories, and speeches
ex 3: phrases, acronyms, and initializations: provides cues to info’s organizational structure (ROY G. BIV)
adaptive memory
focuses on how the brain is designed to learn and remember, from an evolutionary standpoint
- found that info processed that is relevant to survival leads to high levels of recall (due to enhanced levels of elaboration)
- certain types of info favoured (living things are more memorable than thoughts + places)
strategy to remember ordered info
PAO (person-action-object): unique image placed in memory palaced after PAO
- single image is then unpacked into its PAO parts
How is PAO related to adaptive memory?
- it is indirect, people are integrated into the memories (animate concepts well remembered)
- humerous or gross imagery do this as well
retrieval problem
brain must solve this to recover info from long-term memory
- retrieval is LESS like picking out a book, and MORE like putting dinosaur skeleton together
define cues, what is a powerful example?
pieces of present info that help us remember past events
- central for remembering
- can be specific or broad (smell of soup reminds you of home)
powerful example: Tulving and Pearlstone study (1966)
- asked participants to remember a list of words w/ or w/ out cues (category name is a cue - animals, fruit, etc.)
free recall vs. cued recall
free recall - remembering previously learned info without context to aid in remembering
cued recall - remembering previously learned info with aid of clues/info to provide context
what is the reason elaboration works so well? give an example.
cues help improve memory, e.g. dinosaur skeleton metaphor: cues are shapes and sizes of a bone that a scientist is studying
encoding specificity principle
- aka encoding-retrieval match
- idea that retrieval cues are only useful if they match the original context of how specific info was originally learned/encoded
- e.g. words with multiple meanings
- e.g. influences on memory: location, mood, mental state
explicit vs. implicit memory
explicit - recalling info that occurs consciously and with intent
implicit - remembering that occurs without conscious realization or intent
how was implicit memory presence measured?
Roediger test - memory tests that are not known to be memory tests to participants
- made sure 40% of word stems were from initial phase of experiment
elaborate encoding strategies facilitate _____ memory, but have no effect on _____ memory
explicit, implicit (e.g. word stem completion does not change)