L4: Memory Flashcards
what is memory?
Memory is the ability to store and retrieve information overtime. Memory is quite fragile.
Fundamental concepts of human memory: the structure of memory, remembering, forgetting, memory failiures
the structure of memory?
Modal model by atkinson and shriffrin (1968)
Sensory input (e.g: hearing in lecture, seeing slides)—> sensory memory (when attention comes into play. For things you dont unattend, info is lost (arrow from sensory memory) and doesnt move along the pathway).—> short term memory. (place where info can be maintained short? Is not rehearsed info is lost)—> encoding= short term to long term memory. Some info may be lost over time. Some info can be retrieved. arrow from long term memory: some information may be lost over time
look at image/make sure u can draw
sensory memory?
Sensory memory
The first stage of memory
Iconic Memory Test (Sperling, 1960): flashed the letters for 1/20 seconds, about ½ of the letters were recalled
Two hypothesis:
Don’t have sufficient time to encode them all, or
Managed to encode them all but have forgotten some of them
Iconic memory: visual, usually decays in less than a second
Echoic memory: auditory, usually decays in about 5 seconds
-selective retrieval: tone if high remember high, if mid remember mid?
With the tone participants can almost make it all correct when tone matches? So supports second. Managed to encode them.
short term memory?
Short-term memory
Where information is processed and stored but easily forgotten if not rehearsed
Peterson & Peterson (1959)
Participants were asked to memorise three-letter strings
E.g., DBX, HLM
Then after each, they were asked to count backwards from 100 by 3 for a delay
(prevent rehearsal)
Results: stm faded within 20 secs?
rehearsal and chunking?
Rehearsal: the process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally-repeating it
Max 7 meaningful items on average, the ”magical number 7 plus or minus 2” (Miller, 1956)
Chunking: combining small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory
Limitations: number of items limited to 7?
working memory?
Working memory (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 2000) refers to the system that manipulates and maintains information in short-term storage. It’s an attentional system responsible for coordinating and controlling the different types of information being processed.
Central Executive: This is the attentional system that coordinates and controls plans of action and output. It decides what tasks to focus on, allocates attention, and switches between tasks. Its effectiveness is determined by the attentional span, which affects how well the system manages coordination and prioritization of tasks.
Visuospatial Sketchpad: This system briefly stores visual and spatial information, allowing you to manipulate and visualize things like shapes, locations, and spatial arrangements. It handles tasks related to “seeing” and moving objects mentally.
Phonological Loop: This part lets you repeat information to yourself (articulatory rehearsal). It stores verbal and auditory information and helps you rehearse and maintain it in working memory, like when you repeat a phone number to remember it.
Episodic Buffer: This serves as a temporary storage space where information from long-term memory can be integrated into working memory. It allows the combination of different types of information (visual, verbal, spatial) to create a coherent experience or understanding of events.
draw image
separation evidence?
Separation evidence comes from dual-task interference studies. These studies show that when two tasks are performed at the same time, they can interfere with each other. If there’s interference, we’ll see a drop in performance on at least one of the tasks.
For example, in an experiment, participants might be asked to trace a route on a map while performing a secondary visuospatial task, like drawing a circle with the other hand. The second task (the circle drawing) would disrupt the main task (tracing the route), showing that the visuospatial system has limited resources and can only handle so much at once.
This evidence suggests that different components of working memory (like the visuospatial sketchpad) are separate systems because they can be disrupted independently by different tasks.
long term memory and the case of HM?
Long-term memory is distinct from short-term memory in two important ways: duration and capacity
Long-term memory can last for lifetime and has no known capacity limits
Henry Gustav Molaison, aka H.M.
His hippocampus and some surrounding regions are removed
Can converse normally but can’t form new memory after the operation
Encoding: the process whereby information pass from short-term memory into long-term memory to be remembered
The case of HM (Henry Molaison) provides evidence for the distinction between short-term and long-term memory systems. HM’s case shows that these memory systems can function separately, where one system can be intact while the other is non-functional.
HM had a short-term memory span, meaning he could remember information for a brief period, but his encoding process was disrupted. This meant that although he could hold information in his short-term memory for a short time, he couldn’t encode it into long-term memory. His ability to transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory was impaired, even though his short-term memory itself was intact.
This suggests that short-term memory and long-term memory rely on different systems in the brain, and damage to one system (in HM’s case, his hippocampus) can leave the other functional.
remembering?
Encoding: the process by which we transform what we perceive, think or feel into an enduring memory. Bartlett (1932): The War of Ghosts; asked participants to read a brief native American folktales, then asked them to recall
The general meaning of the events stayed, but was patched together with reasonable collection of what probably happened, which were usually consistent with the worldview of the participant!
Storage: the process of maintaining information in memory over time
Retrieval: the process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored.
Diff memories have diff ? of these. Some easier to retrieve and encode etc.
schemas?
Schemas are mental models or frameworks we use to organize and interpret information about the world. They contain knowledge and expectations that help us encode new information by placing it into a meaningful context. For example, our cultural background can influence how we interpret information. In a study where Native American stories were told, people from a Western context often misinterpreted the stories because their own schemas (based on Western culture) shaped their understanding, leading to distortions in memory.
Schemas can distort memory because they encourage us to fit new information into existing mental frameworks. This means that when we try to remember something, we might modify or “fill in” details to make the new information align with what we already know or expect, even if those details weren’t actually part of the original experience.
In essence, memory is constructed, not simply recorded. We combine old information (our existing knowledge) with new information (what we experience) to form our memories. This process of blending and interpretation means that memories are not perfect, and they can be shaped by our prior knowledge and expectations.
