Chapter 8 - Memory Flashcards
Memory
The ability to store and retrieve information, like stimuli, images, ideas, skills and more
Amnesia
inability to retrieve information
Anterograde Amnesia
Loss of ability to assimilate and retain new knowledge
•Memento, Finding Dory
Retrograde Amnesia
Loss of memory for events that have happened in the past
• Like Michael losing all his memories in Jane the Virgin
Which type of amnesia did Henry Molaison have)
Anterograde amnesia
Encoding
Getting information into the system by translating it into a neural code that your brain can process
• Perception of a stimulus getting transformed into a memory
Effortful Processing
Intentional, effortful conscious process
• schoolwork you have to learn, taking notes
Automatic Processing
Unintentional process requiring minimal attention
•Frequency, spatial location, sequence, timing
Dual-coding Hypothesis
Information that can be coded VERBALLY AND VISUALLY is better remembered than only verbal information
Dog vs keep
Levels of Processing
Structural
• Is the word in capitals?
Phonemic
• Does the word rhyme with
“course”?
Semantic
• Does the word fit in this
sentence:
‘The man peeled the ______’?
Which level of processing is best remembered and why?
Semantic. It involves the deepest processing; requires us to focus on the meaning of the information
Maintenance Rehearsal
Repeating the information over and over
•Not the best way to improve recall
• keeping information active in our short-term memory
• transfer some information to our long term memory
Elaborative Rehearsal
Adding MEANING to the information
•What does the word mean?
•How does the word relate to known concepts or experiences?
•What does the word remind you of? (imagery)
More meaningful processing, deeper encoding, more effective at transferring information to long-term memory
Chunking
Combine items into larger units to make them more meaningful
•C T V Y M C A I B M K G B F B I
•C T V Y M C A I B M K G B F B I
• (780) xxx-xxxx
Mnemonic Devices
Mental strategies that aide in remembering information
•e.g., HOMES – for the five Great Lakes •(Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)
•Make a narrative
Complex Mnemonics -
Method if Loci
Link what you need to remember with a place that you know well (real or not)
• Imagery technique for memorization
• Imaginary stroll, linking each object or place with a concept or item
Sensory Memory
Briefly holds sensory information; where memory STARTS
- Contains Iconic and Echoic store memory
Capacity and Duration for Sensory Memory
Capacity: 3 - 7 units of information
Duration: 0.5 to 3 seconds
Iconic Store (memory)
Holds VISUAL information (for a fraction of a second)
Echoic Store (memory)
Holds AUDITORY information (for 2 or more seconds)
Working Memory
Same thing as short term memory, which temporarily stores and processes a limited amount of information, BUT working memory is ACTIVE and has MORE CAPACITY, can MANIPULATE information
Capacity and Duration of Working Memory
Capacity: 7 +/- 2 meaningful items of information (5-9 items, 7 as the average)
Duration: 20-30 seconds
Short Term Memory
temporarily stores and processes a limited amount of information
Ways of Increasing Short-Term Memory
- Chunking
- Rehearsal (control processes)
- Associative Networks
Control Processes
Maintenance rehearsal
•Simple repetition
Elaborative rehearsal
•Focus on meaning
By rehearsing information, we can increase how long it stays in our short-term memory
Associative Networks
Theory that memory can be represented as a NETWORK of ASSOCIATED CONCEPTS; NODES
- The shorter the line between nodes, the STRONGER the association
- spreading activation. When we think of Donald Trump, we think of Ivanka. Associations with Donald Trump come up
Long-Term Memory
Storage of information that lasts from minutes to FOREVER
- No limits
Serial Position Effect (LTM)
Describes the relationship between a word’s position in a list and its probability of recall
Recall is influenced by a word’s position in a list
• Primacy Effect
• Recency Effect
Primacy Effect
We remember things at the BEGINNING of the list. Transfer of words into LONG TERM memory
Recency Effect
We remember things that are at the END of the list. SHORT-TERM memory
Implicit Memory
Memory that is expressed though past experiences, unconscious or automatic memories
- Procedural Memory & Classical Conditioning
Procedural Memory
Cannot be verbalized
• SKILLS and ACTIONS (even some conditioned responses)
• AUTOMATIC memory, like walking or bike riding
Explicit Memory (LTM)
memory that is CONSCIOUSLY retrieved
• declarative memory
Declarative Memory
Can be verbalized
• Consists of:
1. Episodic memory
2. Semantic memory
Episodic Memory (declarative memory)
Relates to Personal Experiences
• like a tv show, birthday
• “it’s all about me”
Semantic Memory (declarative memory)
General factual knowledge
• “just the facts”
Retrieval
Process of transferring information from long-term memory back into working memory (consciousness)
• expression of memory after encoding and storage
Retrieval Cues
Any stimulus that helps/promotes memory recall
• Depends on the memory you have attached to something
Flashbulb Memories
Memory for the circumstances in which you first learned about a very surprising and emotionally arousing event
•National disaster memories
• distinctly positive or negative events that evoke strong emotions, are collective
Encoding Specificity Principle
Retrieval can be increased by matching the conditions at retrieval to the conditions that existed at encoding
• Enhancement occurs because stimuli associated with the event may be encoded as part of the memory, and then later it is going to serve as the retrieval cue
What are Three Specific Ways to achieve Matching?
- Context-dependent memory
- State-dependent memory
- Mood-congruent recall
Context-Dependent Memory
The phenomenon that it is typically easier to remember something in the SAME ENVIRONMENT in which it was originally learned or experienced
• Scuba diver study
• Students who studied in a quiet environment found they scored better found they scored better when they took the test in a quiet environment
State-Dependent Memory
Learning is associated with a particular internal state
• Our ability to retrieve information is greater when our internal state, at the time of retrieval, matches our original state while learning
•Non-drug examples as well:
- Mood, level of tiredness, physical fatigue, etc.
• material learned at rest is better recalled at rest
Mood-Congruent Recall
Tendency to recall information or events that are CONGRUENT with our CURRENT MOOD
• happy people will better remember happy than sad materials, whereas sad people will better remember sad than happy materials
Dementia
Refers to impaired memory and other cognitive deficits that accompany brain degeneration and interfere with normal functioning
Alzhemier’s Disease
Severe retrograde and anterograde amnesia
• forgetfulness, confusion, lowered mobility
• most common cause of dementia for adults 65+
