Exceptional Memory

Question 1

Luria (1968) studies patient who could..

Answer 1

3 minutes study - matrix of 50 digits
Word list of 70 items lasted 15 to 18 years

No limit to the capacity or durability of his memory.

Characteristics:

• highly visual and auditory (he had trouble remembering a word if its sound did not fit its meaning).
• he experienced synesthesia, i.e., the blending of sensations: a voice was a “crumbly, yellow voice.”

He had to learn how to forget

Question 2

Retrieval Practice Effect and an example (Pi)

Answer 2

Landauer & Bjork (1978)

Takahashi (2006): p. could recite 40,000 digits of pi, and did not have an exceptional digit span: learned chunks of 10 - assoc. sound of number with a word - sentences - visual image.

Question 3

Memory Strategies vs Natural memorisers

Answer 3

Immediate memory 94% - 85%

1 week later 53% - 83%

Wilding and Valentine (1994)

Question 4

Memory championship contenders (avg. of 11 years practise at mnemonics) vs control group

Answer 4

Wilding et al (2003)

Digit Span of 17 (normal control 12).

No deviation from control in IQ or brain structure, however brain activation seen when encoding and recalling was consistent with the use of spatial strategies.

Question 5

Student who practised one hour a day, 3-5 times a week..

and the future theory of important things for remembrance

Answer 5

..for over 20 months. Ericsson et al (1980)

Digit span increased form 7 to 79 digits

Strategy: coding groups of digits as running times and recalled in groups of 5-6 (this is evidence that it is not an increase in phono loop span but use of meaningful encoding and associations in LTM

Ericsson (1988): 1.) Meaningful encoding

                     2. ) Retrieval Structure
                     3. ) Practise

Question 6

The importance of retrieval structure

Answer 6

If in the same level 2 structure then retrieval time of 4.4s compared to 10.1s in separate branch