Chapter 9 Flashcards
what is memory
it is defined as the ability to retain knowledge
what does it mean by information processing
the flow of information through the nervous system involving perceptual systems, memory systems, and decision making and response systems
what are the three steps that memory can be divided by
encoding, storage, retrieval
explain encoding part of memory
the process of acquiring information and transferring it into memory
the encoded information then needs to be retained or stores
explain the storage part of memory
storage of memories in the brain can last anywhere from fractions of a second (sensory memory) to several seconds (short term and working memory) to indefinitely long term memory
explain the retrieval part of memory
the recovery of stored information
1. interference
2. stress
what is the atkinson-shiffrin multistore model of memory
classical model of memory showing information flowing in a series of stages
sensory input –> sensory memory –> short term memory (requires repeition) –> long term memory
what is sensory memory
the incoming information is processed in a first stage of the information processing model
this stage holds alot of sensory data - the data stays for 1 sec
what types of representations does sensory input get translated into
visual codes or iconic memories - these are used for temporary storage of visual images
haptic codes - used to process touch and other body senses
acoustic codes (echoic memories) - represent sounds and words - this lasts longer than visual codes or iconic memories
we have sensory memory because only a small subset of this incoming data is processed by the next stage
what is short term memory (STM) in the model
a tiny amount of info from the sensory memory moves to the next stage of the information processing model
no sensory information is processed to STM unless you pay attention to them
t/f after rehearsal the information stays in short term memory
true
can hold less than 9 pieces of information
what does it mean by chunking data
the process of grouping similar or meaningful information together
what is working memory as an adaption to the memory model
an extension of the concept of short-term memory that includes the active manipulation of multiple types of information simultaneously
working memory involves the passive storage of information - involves active manipulation of information - more complex, allowing us to manage multiple processes that occur simultaneously
what are the 4 types of information that can be maintained in short-term memory
phonological loop
visuspatial sketch pad
central executive
episodic buffer
explain the long term memory part of the model
long-term memory has few limitation in capacity or duration
t/f we do run out of room in long term memory for new data
false
we do not
what are the two types of rehearsal
maintenance rehearsal - simple repition of material
elaborative rehearsal - linking the new material to things you already know
- more effective
explain the levels of processing theory
the depth of processing applied to info that predicts its ease of retrieval
when we look at a written word we want to remember we look at the font, size, sound, meaning, relevance
when given a list of words to remember what does it mean when people only remember the first positions and last positions
first items on the list = primary effect - stores in long term memory
last items on the list = recency effect - these items remain in working memory at the time of recall - disappears if recall is delayed by 30 seconds
what are the different types of long-term memory
declarative memory (explicit) - easy to discuss verbally
nondeclarative memories (implicit) - difficult to discuss - hard to explain why we get nervous right before an exam
- impacts our behaviour in indirect ways
what are the 2 types of declarative memories
semantic memory
- contains your store of general knowlegde in the form of word meanings and facts - Which team won last year championship?
- categorized
Episodic memory
- personal account of past experiences
- organized in a timeline
- they can overlap - they interact during the encoding and retrieval
what are autobiographical memories
sematic or episodic memories that reference the self
self-knowledge
what are the three types of nondeclarative memories
- classical conditioning
- procedural memories
- priming
what are procedural memories
also called skill memories
they contain info about how to carry out a skilled movement such as riding a bicycle
- how to carry out motor skills that are hard to describe in words
- procedures after learning become automatic
what is priming
occurs when exposure to a stimulus changes a response to a subsequent stimulus
what is collective memory
refers to memories of past events that are common to members of a certain social group
- raptors winning
- a cohort graduating
- the issue is that the collective memory of a dominant group may overpower the collective memory of other less powerful groups
what is a transactive memory
division of info among members of a group
- members are each responsible for remembering different pieces of information
bc no one is responsible for knowing everything
- each person = specialized role
- Parent 1 is responsible for remembering clothing size, favourite pizza topping, the other parent may be responsible for sports activities
what do connectionist models of memory tell us
that thinking about one concept automatically leads to thinking about related concepts and their properties
- view the mind as a network made up of simpler units
what is the spreading activation model
recognizes that ppl form their own organizations in memory based on their personal experiences
- the first word in a question activates a concept
saying doctor might activate the word nurse
what is a schema
a set of expectations about objects and situations
when we encounter new information, we attempt to fit the new information into an existing schema
details that are consistent with the schemas are more likely retained where inconsistent details with our schema are less likely
t/f we search thru short term memory one item at a time rather than retrieving its contents at once
true
what is the role of a cue when retrieving memory
a cue is any stimulus that helps u access target info
- true or false/MC questions on exam gives cues or triggers to the correct situation of what you studied
- the most effective cues are the ones we make our selves and what we find useful - generating ur own mneomics
what is encoding specificity and how does it impact cues
a process in which memories incorporate unqiue combinations of info when encoded
- long term memory is encoded with other important bits
what is a context-dependent memory
the improvement in a memory that occurs when you are in the external context or the context is given
when the encoded and the retrieval info are presented at the same time given the external context
- when you walk into your room and forget what you wanted to do but when you return to the original position, you might suddenly remember you were going to feed the cat
Explain the scuba diver example in terms of context and encoding
they learned words either on land or underwater
- wherever they learned the words, when returning upon that place they retrieved the most
what is a state dependent memory
when mood and other internal states can serve as encoding cues
- bad mood while witnessing an event - when they are in a bad mood again, then they will be able to recall the situation better
what does it mean when they say that the mind engages in reconstruction during retrieval
info flows from long-term to working memory
- reconstruction means the building of a memory out of the stores bits by blending retrieved information with new content present in working memory
- rebuilding a memory out of stored elements
explain the car accident memory and how people changed their answers depending on the linkage between the wording
when watching a car accident occur
depending is the person asks a question with the words “how fast was the car going when it smashed into the other VS how fast the car was going when it hit the other” you get a faster speed response for those that heard the word smash because it implies a larger impact
what is a flashbulb memory
an espcially vivid and detailied memory of an emotional event
stress or negative emotions accompanied by the release of hormoes and by patterns of brain activity can either enhance or repair memory processing e
t/f stress declines the retrieval of memories
true
but retrieval practice protects memory from stress
what does it mean to forget
a decrease in the ability to remember a previously formed memory
to forget something it must be formed in the first place
what does it mean for memories to decay
memories fade over time unless we continually practise retrieving them
to learn the periodic table the first time is hard, requires lots of practise but the 3rd time ur in a chem class it takes much less time to learn and remember
what does it mean by transience
a simple passage of time
what is interference
it is the competition between newer and older information in the memory system
the brain requires time to produce a physical representation of a memory and in the window of time you take, they may have distortions, loss or replacement of info from other interferences (couple mins or hours)
- proactive interference refers to reduced memory for target information as a result of earlier learning
- retroactive interference - reduced memory for target information because of subsequent learing
what does it mean by blocking - the form of forgetting “tip of the tongue
refers to the cases of forgetting that occur when we know the information but simply cannot access it
what does it mean by motivated forgetting
failure to retrieve negative memories
protecting yourself from further unpleasantness by “forgetting” to sign their tax forms
what would happen to someone who does not have a hippocampus
lack of ability to make new memories
- but when asked to draw a star when only looking at the tracings thru the mirror, he got better using practice which shows that this information (procedural memories) were stored else where and still intact
t/f those who have alzherimers show more dramatic episodic memory than semantic memory
true
episodic memories are also affected by the damage to the prefrontal cortex = amnesia (ppl that have their sematic knowledge but dont know how they acquired it)
what part of the brain are procedural memories correlated with
basal ganglia
huntington’s disease and parkinsons disease have degeneration in the basal ganglia and have trouble learning new procedures, but declarative memories remain relatively intact
how can we improve memory
- distribute practice over time (practise spread out over time)
- take tests (enhances long-term memory, ability to think about learned material with greater flexibility and apply to new situations)
- exercise (increases adult neurogenesis - birth of neurons in the hippocampus)
- sleep (learning after waking strengthens connections but sleep related processing might reorganize existing memories to accommodate for new info)
- recite (verbalizing the material in own words
- use mnemonics (acronyms)
