Cognitive Psychology/Memory Flashcards
Define memory
An organism’s ability to store, retain, and subsequently retrieve information
What are the stages of memory
Sensory input - Encoding - Storage - Retrieval
What is the encoding stage of memory?
Converts sensory input into a usable code that can be stored in memory
What is the storage stage of memory?
Holds encoded information for a period of time
What is the retrieval stage of memory?
Locates stored information and returns it into consciousness when needed
Provide an example demonstrating the stages of memory
Encoding: When you met the person and were told the name (“this is Joe”)
Storage: When you retained or stored the name (“hmm, Joe”)
Retrieval: When you retrieved/recovered the name from memory (Yeah, you are Joe!”)
Define sensory memory
A short-term memory store for information being processed through the senses
What are the 2 main sensory registers for memory
Iconic memory
Echoic memory
Define Iconic memory with one example
The sensory register for visual information e.g., you look at a flower, close your eyes, and an icon of a flower is imprinted in your consciousness. The image you “see” in your mind is your iconic memory of that visual stimuli
Define echoic memory with one example
The sensory register for auditory information
E.g., when someone talks, your echoic memory holds each syllable. Your brain recognizes words by connecting each syllable to the previous one
Iconic memory- what it holds, duration stored, and storage capacity
It holds: exact replica of visual information (an icon)
Duration stored: approx. 1/3-1/2 of a second
Storage capacity: relatively unlimited
Echoic memory- what it holds, duration stored and the storage capacity
It holds: exact replica of auditory information (an echo)
Storage capacity: approx 3-4 seconds
Duration stored: relatively unlimited
Define short term memory
Where we store info that we only need to remember for a short period (15-30 seconds)
What is Miller’s magic number 7?
Most people can store 7 (plus or minus 2) items in their short term memory
What is ‘chunking’ according to Miller’s theory? Provide 1 example.
Taking individual pieces of information and grouping them into larger meaningful units. e.g., “5932” would be 4 seperate numbers for most people unless they’re your PIN numbers, then they would form a single “chunk”
What factors affect the capacity of short-term memory?
Reading aloud
Rhythmic grouping
Pronounciation time
What is the duration of short term memory?
Approximately 18-20 seconds before the information starts to disappear
What is maintenance rehearsal in relation to increasing STM duration?
Repetition of information a number of times so it can be held in STM for longer than 18-20 seconds
What are advantages and limitations to maintenance rehersal with regard to increasing STM duration?
Advantages:
-Allows for info to be stored in STM for longer than 18-20 seconds
-Good for remembering meaningless information
Limitations:
-Does not add to understanding
-Restricts entry of new information into STM
-Limited effect transferring from STM-LTM
What is elaborative rehearsal in relation to increasing STM duration?
Involves linking new information in some meaningful way with information already stored in the long term memory, or other pieces of new information to hold it in short term memory for longer than 18-20 seconds
What are advantages and limitations to elaborative rehersal with regard to increasing STM duration?
Advantages:
-Increases understanding because it requires deep processing
-Adds more detail; increases retrieval chances
-Makes information more accessible because it creates more potential retrieval cues
Limitations:
-Takes longer than maintenance rehearsal
-Difficult to practise in situations where information entering STM is rapidly changing
-Requires more conscious effort than maintenance rehearsal
What is the serial-position effect?
A pattern of recall from list items, where recall is better for items at the beginning (primacy) or end (recency) of a list than items in the middle
Serial-Position Effect: What is the recency effect?
Recall items at the end of a list
Serial-Position Effect: What is the primacy effect?
Recall items from beginning of list
What was Glazner and Cunitz’ (1966) experiment?
Serial-position effect
-PPs recalled more words at beginning (primacy) and end (recency) of the list
-The interference task removed the recency but not the primacy effect
-This implies that primacy words were stored somewhere different to recency words
Define asymptote
The middle portion items of the list are remembered far less well than those at the beginning and at the end
Why does asymptote occur?
The increasing number of items fills the limited capacity of the short term memory, and these items are unable to be properly rehearsed/transferred to the long term memory before they’re been displaced
Long-term memory: Information is stored and organised by __________ and _______
Importance
Meaning
Why can’t we remember every long term memory we have formed?
The reason we can’t remember every LTM we have formed is due to inability to retrieve the information, not that the information has been lost
What encoding does long-term memory rely on?
Long-term memory is encoded semantically
What are the 2 types of long-term memory?
Procedural (implicit)
Declarative (explicit)
Identify and describe what procedural memory is
-Memory for knowing how to things such as habits and skills e.g., walk, talk
-We retain these skills but can’t consciously describe how we do them - resistant to forgetting
What encoding does short-term memory rely on?
Acoustic
What is declaritive memory?
Concerns all the information we can describe or report
What are the 2 types of Declarative (explicit) memories?
Semantic
Episodic
Identify and describe what semantic memory is
-Recollection of ideas, concepts and facts
-Involves general factual information about the world that doesn’t involve memory of personal events or episodes
-E.g., algebra or grammar
Identify and describe what episodic memory is
-Memory based upon personal experience and linked to a particular time and space in our lives
-E.g., what you had for breakfast
