Lecture 14 - Factors Affecting Encoding and Retrieval

Question 1

What is long term memory made up of:

Answer 1

- Nondeclarative/Implicit: Procedural & Simple classical conditioning
- Declarative/Explicit: Episodic & Semantic = verbalised

Question 2

What are factors that affect encoding/retrieval?

Answer 2

- Levels of processing
- Transfer-appropriate processing
- Organisation
- Context-dependent memory
- State-dependent memory
- Retrieval strategy

Question 3

What did they think before levels of processing?

Answer 3

- STM = operated according to phonological code
- LTM = operated according to semantic codes

Question 4

What does level of processing theory do?

Answer 4

- Determinant of of items memorability is amount of levels of processing it receives at encoding

Question 5

What is the most shallow form of processing?

Answer 5

- visual features

Question 6

What is the intermediate form of processing?

Answer 6

Auditory

Question 7

What is the deepest form of processing?

Answer 7

- Meaning/semantics

Question 8

What was the study on levels of processing?

Answer 8

- Incidental encoding task
- Words were presented visually and ppts asked to make judgements e.g rhyming/capital letters/meaning
- Deeper processing = more likely to remember

CA:
- Semantic judgements take longer rather than a superficial judgements because you are taking longer to encode it
- Response was slowing down superficial task = making it harder = same results as found before
CA:
- Can validity be measured without measuring the amount remembered
- Do features get processed sequentially/parallel e.g does weight rhyme with crate, you also think about the meaning. Doing them at the same time

Question 9

What is transfer appropriate processing:

Answer 9

- Way you encode needs to match how you test memory

Question 10

Study of TAP:

Answer 10

- Incidental learning (dk they will be tested)
- Either deep/shallow encoding: fill in blanks in sentence or rhyming task respectively
- 2 recognition tests: standard - old/new words, Rhyme - series of words has an item been presented which rhymes with the word
- Found that depending on the way you encode needs to match the way its tested for optimal recall

Question 11

Why is deeper processing better?

Answer 11

- Elaboration: semantic processing allows a richer, more elaborate code
- Asking if a word would fit into a sentence either a simple sentence or complex
- Complex had better recall, as richer context offers more cues
- Distinctiveness: semantic processing allows ppts to encode more unique features from each word relative to surface features
- Prediction: if Deep LOP make memories more distinct, false recognition should be lower for words. e.g calling a new word old (already experienced)

Question 12

Why is organisation important?

Answer 12

- Organisation into categories lead to better memory
- Ppts try to find meaning in words that did not have links to organise them, and try to remember in clusters = natural instinct

Question 13

Study testing organisation in memory:

Answer 13

- Ppts need to remember 112 mineral presented in two ways: organised/scrambled
- First memory test = organisation = 65% recall, whereas random = 18%
- Second test = organisation = 95%, whereas random = 35%

Question 14

What is context dependent memory?

Answer 14

- Incidental context can be important e.g room wanting tea. Go to kitchen = forget
- Tested deep sea divers who had to remember 40 unrelated words
- Either learnt word sin land/sea, either recalled items in land/sea, so either a match or mismatch
- Recall was better when there was a match, supporting context dependent effect = more prevalent over delays

Question 15

What is state-dependent memory?

Answer 15

- Occurs when learners internal environment is changed via alcohol, drugs, mood OR physiological states e.g when happy, you remember happy things, and if happy when encoding, you remember more when happy
- Sometimes demonstrated with free recall and not recognition
- Examined aerobic exercise - some ppts sat on the bike, others had to pedal to change physiological state
- Recall is 20% better when there was an encoding-retrieval match

Question 16

Describe order as a retrieval strategy:

Answer 16

- Way we interrogate memories can be important for what we retrieve
- When retrieving names of teachers from early schooling
- More accurate when starting with older to young
- Easier to successfully retrieve details from more recent episodes which provide more cues for earlier names

Question 17

Describe perspective as a retrieval strategy:

Answer 17

- Ppts read a story about boys missing school and hiding out in a house. Given details
- Had to adopt either a burglar/homebuyer POV
- Later test given: recall same amount of info, but bias of what sort of info they retrieved
- Then asked to recall info a second time either with the same/other POV
- Diff perspective remembered more items
- Recall improved with strategy change.