How to Have a Good Memory Flashcards
Stages of memory?
- Encoding
- Consolidation
- Retrieval
- Reconsolidation
Encoding - Maintenance rehearsal?
Repeating things (maintaining in WM) is not very effective for encoding into LTM
Encoding - Elaborative rehearsal?
Forming meaningful associations between new information and other information
Levels of Processing Theory? Craik & Lockhart (1972)
Differentiated between “shallow” processing and “deep” processing
Shallow processing:
- Little attention to meaning
- Focus on physical features
- Poor memory
Deep processing
- Close attention to meaning
- Better memory
Results showed that processing meaning during encoding improved memory
Other ways to Improve Encoding - Visual Imagery(Bower & Winzenz, 1970)? Participants learned word-pairs…
Words more likely to be remembered when participants imagined the visual relationship between them
boat-tree :(
or
boat crashed in a tree :)
Other ways to Improve Encoding - Self-reference?
Participants saw adjectives (Leshikaret al., 2015)
Self condition: participants decided if the words describe them or not
Common condition: participants decided if the words were commonly used or not
Better memory for self-condition
Other ways to Improve Encoding - Generation Effect (Slameka& Graf, 1978)?
Participants read list of related word-pairs
(e.g., “horse-saddle,” “lamp-shade”)
Read condition: just read them
Generate condition: generate the second word based on the first word “horse-sa__”
Participants much more likely to recall word pairs they generated “I made that :)”
Encoding vs. Retrieval? In a university setting
Encoding and retrieval are both essential for memory performance
In a university setting, students have usually studied (encoded) all the material
Test performance primarily limited by retrieval -> Better to focus on enhancing retrieval
Retrieval cue? Organization leads to more…
A stimulus that has an association with the memory, facilitating recall
Organization leads to more retrieval cues
How to Improve Retrieval - Organization?
Create hierarchies or maps of information
Bower (1969) showed participants lists of words from different categories (minerals, animals, clothing, & transportation)
Memory was better when participants encoded words when they were organized by category, compared to when they were randomized
How to Improve Retrieval - Retrieval practice? MOST IMPORTANT
Most efficient way of improving retrieval
Participants read English-Swahili word pairs
Repeated testing of ALL material dramatically improved retrieval
How to Improve Retrieval - Encoding specificity?
Retrieval is better when the testing environment is similar to the encoding environment
How to Improve Retrieval - State-dependent learning?
Retrieval is better when the body is in the same state/mood as it was during encoding
Don’t study and drink alcohol; maintain same caffeine levels
Consolidation?
Memories are fragile when recently formed
Consolidation transforms new memories from fragile state to more permanent state
Sleep is very important for consolidation
– Protects from interference
Long Term Potentiation (LTP) –D. Hebb?
Enhanced firing of neurons after repeated stimulation (“neurons that fire together, wire together”)
Structural changes, increasing firing (LTP)
