Exam 3 Flashcards
Encoding
the process of storing information into long-term memory during the learning experience
What factors make for better encoding?
depth of processing
What factors do not make for better encoding?
repetition, intention to remember
Levels of processing
structural, phonemic, category; idea is that the deeper the stimulus is processed, the better it is encoded
Survival
surprise memory test showed that carrying out a “survival” task while reading the words resulted in better memory than other elaborative encoding procedures
- context: participants imagining that they are stranded are presented with a list of words; their task was to rate each word based on how relevant it would be for finding supplies of food and water and providing protection from predators
Self-reference
memory is better if you are asked to relate a word to yourself (i.e., self-reference - whether the word describes yourself - had higher recognition of the words than those in the common conditions who were asked to indicate whether the word was commonly used)
Understanding
Increased understanding leads to better encoding (laundry example with context via picture versus no context given before the paragraph)
Generation
generating material yourself, rather than passively receiving it, enhances learning and retention of information
Summary for encoding
- increased elaboration leads to better encoding
- richer network of semantic connections during encoding
- more ways to retrieve information during recall
Levels of processing in testing
testing provides a way of elaborating the material rather than just learning through studying only
Levels of processing summary
- increased elaboration leads to better encoding
- richer network of semantic connections during encoding
- more ways to retrieve information during recall
Storage/consolidation
the strengthening of information in long-term memory after the learning experience
Standard model of memory
initial experience –> consolidation –> fully encoded
Hippocampal replay during sleep
Interference with hippocampal replay
Sleep-driven consolidation in humans
Consolidation and dreaming
Retrieval
transferring information from LTM into working memory
Retrieval cues
a word or other stimulus that helps a person remember information stored in memory
Tip of the tongue effect
Cued recall
participant is presented with retrieval cues to aid in recall of the previously experienced stimuli
Uncued recall
a participant is asked to recall stimuli without any retrieval cues
Retrieval cues conclusions
retrieval cues are significantly more effective when they are created by the person whose memory is being tested
Encoding specificity
matching context between encoding and retrieval assists performance
Memories as associations
Godden & Baddeley diving study
results indicated that the best recall occurred when encoding and retrieval occurred in the same location (i.e., both on land or both underwater)
Grant et al. noise study
participants performed better on a short-answer test when the testing condition matched the study condition (i.e., study in quiet and test in quiet)
Eich & Metcalf mood study
performed better at remembering the words from two days earlier when their mood at retrieval matched their mood during the encoding (state-dependent learning)
Goodwin et al. alcohol study
Encoding specificity conclusions
Transfer appropriate processing
Morris et al. study
participants who focused on rhyming during encoding remembered more words in the rhyming test than participants who had focused on meaning; thus, the participants who had focused on the word’s sound during the first part of the experiment did better when the test involved focusing on sound (transfer appropriate processing)
- showed that deeper processing at encoding does not always result in better retrieval
Transfer appropriate processing vs. levels of processing
transfer appropriate processing: better performance when the type of processing matches in encoding and retrieval
levels of processing: deeper processing at encoding leads to better retrieval
Interference
Proactive interference
when previously learned information interferes with learning new information
Retroactive interference
when new information interferes with retrieving previously learned information
Evidence for proactive interference
- studied 10 pairs of adjectives –> came back, recalled the old test, and studied a new one –> repeated this process twice more
- with no previous list to remember, recall is higher, but with increasing number of things to remember, recall decreases
- possibly due to competition during retrieval
Evidence for retroactive interference
- participant studied a list of pairs in two sessions (experimental condition, the AB and AD list shared A part; control condition, no overlap) –> in test phase, they were asked what they remember from the first session
- experimental condition showed much worse performance –> retrieval competition (have to resolve some conflict between what you learned in session one versus session two)
Retrieval induced forgetting
- memories are constantly in swing
- elements can be suppressed and activated
- retrieval biases towards recent goals
Constructive memory
- memories are not a carbon copy of the past
- prone to revision and error
Retrieval conclusions
- the effectiveness of retrieval depends on what you do with information
- retrieval is error prone (interference)
- retrieval can change memories (retrieval induced forgetting)
Anderson paradigm
- retrieval induced forgetting
- weakened association between category and unrehearsed item
Inhibition vs. response blocking
- blocking idea is that practiced words occupy the ‘response channel’
Neuroimaging study
Autobiographical memory
memory for specific experiences from our life
- they are multidimensional, meaning: the memory includes several sensory modalities; the memory takes place in 3D space; there are thoughts and emotions associated with the memory
Everyday memory
Episodic components of autobiographical memories
Semantic components of autobiographical memories
Multidimensionality of autobiographical memories
- the memory includes several sensory modalities
- the memory takes place in 3D space
- there are thoughts and emotions associated with the memory
Emotions associated with event
Distinctiveness associated with event
Reminiscence bump
enhanced memory for adolescence and young adulthood found in people over 40
Self-image hypothesis
proposes that memory is enhanced for events that occur as a person’s self-image or life identity is being formed
Cognitive hypothesis
proposes that periods of rapid change that are followed by stability cause stronger encoding of memories
Cultural life script hypothesis
distinguishes between a person’s life story, which is all of the events that have occurred in a person’s life, and a cultural life script, which is the culturally expected events that occur at a particular time in the life span
Emotion and memory
- more correct recognitions were given for emotional images than neutral images
- activation for emotional recognitions was shown not just in the hippocampus, but also the amygdala