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)
Standard model of consolidation?
Incoming information activates many areas in the cortex
Cortex communicates with the hippocampus
Retrieval depends on hippocampus during consolidation
Reactivation:
Hippocampus “replays” neural activity associated with the memory (pre-consolidation)
Helps form direct connections between the
various cortical areas
- Hippocampus generally no longer needed for remote memories
Reconsolidation?
Reactivated memories become fragile again
Memories must be reconsolidated after activation
Reactivation of conditioned stimulus made memory of fear fragile again
Anisomycinprevented (memory blocking drug) reconsolidation, so the fear memory was extinguished
How to Have a Good Memory (Summary)?
- Encode everything richly with deep processing
- Sleep well with few distractions to improve consolidation
- Practice practice practice retrieval!!!
- Avoid distractions during retrieval practice to avoid problems with reconsolidation
