Lecture 9. Recognition memory Flashcards
What are some fundamental aspects of memory? What is it influenced by?
Memory is only as good as the input, or what is encoded at the time it happened
Memory is reconstructive
Expectations can be manipulated
“Memory is only as good as the details that were encoded”
What are some limitations during the encoding process?
Encoding can be limited by sensory limitations, preventing all of the details of a scene or an event from being registered in memory
Attentional bottlenecks will limit the amount of information the is perceived at any given time (we cant notive every single detail in our environment all the time)
What does the visual system do to details?
The visual system removes details with distance
What impact does distraction have on encoding?
HUGE, distraction affects how well memory is consolidated massively. (negatively exponentially)
The time between encoding and recall (while being distracted by something else in the meantime) creates a negatively exponential decay that is
What kind of faces are easier to remember?
What does this say about distinctive features?
highly attractive or highly unattractive faces are easy to remember
Distinctive features are easier to remember
What study did Loftus do?
W___ F___
Weapon Focus study in which it was found participants had a high alertness to weapons and were therefore less likely to remember the perpetrators face
What is memory only as good as? The p__1.___ of d__2.__ at the the time of ___3.___
A__4.__, s__5.___ and d__6.___ affect encoding (what gets in)
perception of details at the time of encoding
1. perception of 2.details at the time of 3.encoding
- Attention, 5. salience and 6. distraction affect encoding
What is a schema?
A concept or set of ideas or a framework for representing some aspect of the world.
Schemas can also be called frames, mental sets or scripts
How do schemas influence learning?
Schemas influence how you interpret new information and play a large role in determining what you can pay attention to when learning.
It influences what you deem as important, what you learn and how you represent that knowledge
What is the beneficial aspect of a schema?
Schemas can facilitate comprehension, as it is a concept that we already hold about something, so we can hit the ground running with interpretation.
What is an issue associated with schemas and their influence on memory?
Schemas can lead to distortions in memory.
Information that is inconsistent with the schema is often reinterpreted to fit the schema.
Even in the face of contradicting information, schemas are hard to change and therefore we might distort our memory to suit our schemas, not the other way around
Sir Frederick Bartlet sounds like a bit of a story teller, what did he do to test how memories change over time?
Had subjects memorise stories and retell them at different time points to see how they changed.
What was the story that Sir Frederick Bartlet told to westerners?
The War of Ghosts
Years after Bartlet made his participants remember the War of Ghosts, what remained?
The gist, aka the general outline
Why are we so susceptible to leading questions?
memory for detail is poor, people can be influenced by questions that suggests specific expectations.
