Lecture 2 - Episodic memory

Question 1

Episodic memory

Answer 1

memory for specific events located at a specific point and time
‘mental time travel’

Question 2

semantic memory

Answer 2

memory for facts
e.g. vocabulary, rules etc.

Question 3

short delay semantic memory

Answer 3

information is recalled in episodes

Question 4

long delay semantic memory

Answer 4

same information is integrated into semantic memory

Question 5

neuropsychological evidence of different memory systems

Answer 5

• review of 147 cases of amnesia
• majority had major loss of episodic memory
• smaller effect on semantic memory
• damage to hippocampus affects episodic memory more than semantic
• BUT acquisition of new semantic memories is affected more than retrieval

Question 6

semantic dementia patients

Answer 6

• severe loss of concept knowledge but intact episodic memory
• damage to anterior frontal and anterior temporal lobes

Question 7

semantic deficit

Answer 7

• anterior temporal
• anterior frontal
  damage

Question 8

episodic deficit

Answer 8

• hippocampus damage

Question 9

how to have better encoding

Answer 9

• chunking and organizing elements into a long list of items
• or parts can evoke a strong imagery

Question 10

Bartlett’s approach

Answer 10

• recall of complex materials
• examined recall errors
• stressed p’s effort after meaning (people try to ascribe meaning to memorize things to help process and memorize )

Question 11

Schema (Bartlett)

Answer 11

• long lasting structured representation of knowledge about the world, events, people or actions
  ‘templates’

Question 12

what are schemas used for

Answer 12

• can be used to make sense of new materials, to store, and later recall them

Question 13

what are schemas influenced by

Answer 13

social and cultural factors

Question 14

Bower, Black & Turner 1979

Answer 14

• restaurant script/schema
• agreement among people from any given background about what should take place in this context

Question 15

‘the war of ghosts’: Bartlett

Answer 15

• native american folk tales
• errors and distortions when asked to recall these
• omission of detail to make story more coherent
• distortions were more consistent with their own semantic knowledge… they were ‘westernised’

Question 16

Bransford & Johnson, 1972 - role of schemas

Answer 16

• p’s that recieved a title for passage were able to remember more
• previous schematic knowledge is beneficial for later recall and helps comprehension, organisation

Question 17

Sulin & Dooling 1974: role of schemas

Answer 17

• story about a dictator, one group given unknown name others given Hitler
• short delay: 5 mins - no difference in groups, didn’t agree with test sentence being present
• long delay: 1 week - p’s who read about Hitler were more likely to incorrectly agree with “He hated Jews” appearing
• previous schematic knowledge affects memory especially at longer intervals

Question 18

Carmichael et al. 1932: role of meaning

Answer 18

• ascribing meaning to stimuli affects encoding and storage
• symbols reproduced were more similar to meaning or word given to that symbol

Question 19

Jenkins & Russel study on recall, 1952

Answer 19

related words within a list tend to be recalled ass a cluster/together

Question 20

Paivio’s Dual-coding hypothesis

Answer 20

more image-able words (e.g. concrete nouns) are more memorable

Question 21

2 routes words can be encoded for better imageability

Answer 21

• visual appearance
• verbal meaning
  … more routes better for recall

Question 22

levels of processing hypothesis: Craik & Lockhart 1972

Answer 22

memories are encoded at different levels of processing, deeper leads to better retention

Question 23

LOP limitations

Answer 23

• difficult to define and measure
• LOP’s are not processed in a serial order but at the same time
• deeper is not always more memorable

Question 24

Transfer-appropriate processing TAP

Answer 24

• memory retrieval is best when cues at encoding are similar to those at testing

Question 25

TAP experiment: Morris, Bransford, Franks 1977

Answer 25

• incidental learning
• phonological or semantic judgments about words
• standard recognition test (consistent with semantic)
• rhyming recognition test (consistent with phonological)
• standard recognition test led to better retention for semantic
• rhyming recognition test phonological led to better performance
  …… TAP

Question 26

incidental learning

Answer 26

p’s not told they would be tested later

Question 27

maintenance rehearsal

Answer 27

• remember things in the same way presented

Question 28

elaborative rehearsal

Answer 28

link it to other material, previous knowledge

MORE BENEFICIAL

Question 29

Intention to learn: Mandler 1967

Answer 29

• higher recall rates when sorting cards by meaning with or without knowledge of test produced similar recall
• organizing material is more important than intent to learn
• processing matters more than intent

Question 30

factors that aid encoding

Answer 30

• creating connections
• organisation
• LOP/TAP
• Active creation