Lesson 3 Flashcards
Retrieving Memories and Forgetting
Retrieval
The act of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness
- Occurs via recall and recognition
Recall
Remembering without cues
Recognition
Remembering with the aid of cues
Retrieval cues
Stimuli that help people retrieve memories.
Context-dependent memory
Our recall is often better when we recall info in the same physical setting in which we encode it
- This is because the environment where we encode information is part of the memory trace
Mood-congruent memory
Your mood also impacts memory retrieval
- If you are currently feeling happy, it is likely any memories you recall will be of the same mood
State-dependent memory
Our recall is often better when we recall information in the same physiological state in which we encode it
- If I misplaced my purse when I was drunk, I may recall its location under the same intoxicated state
Testing effect
Successful retrieval is more likely if information is retrieved over and over again as practice
- Testing an individuals memory makes the memory stronger and easier to retrieve
Forgetting curve
Time is a factor in forgetting.
Memories weaken over time. If we learn something new, but then make no attempt to relearn that information, we remember less and less of it as the hours, days and weeks go by.
Within an hour of learning new information people tend to forget up to 50% of it!
Proactive interference
Occurs when something you have learnt before, disrupts recall of something new.
‘Ms Cole struggled to remember the names of her new students because the names of old students kept interfering with the information’
Retroactive interference
Occurs when new information interferes with remembering old information.
‘When someone asks you for your old mobile number, but you can’t remember it because you have a new number’.
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
When we know that we know something but can’t seem to pull it completely out of memory. Often, providing ourselves with retrieval cues we associate with the blocked information can enable us to recall it.
Repression (psychodynamic)
Memories forgotten due to distress.
A defence mechanism of the Ego within the Psychodynamic approach to Personality.
It is the unconscious forgetting of painful memories that occurs as a defence mechanism to protect our self-concept and minimise anxiety.
Misinformation effect
Misleading info or even conversations we have with people post event can be weaved into our memories and become part of our reality
Ex: How fast was the car going when it —- into the other car
- The word used in the space can change peoples perception about what/how something happened…
Source amnesia
When we have a memory of something but we fail to remember the source
- Often people feel they have experienced something, when actually you are remembering someone else’s story - the source of the information is lost
