Long-Term Memory (EXAM 1) Flashcards
What are the two types of long-term memory?
Procedural + Declarative memory
Procedural Memory
“knowing how” (ex: typing, tying your shoes, etc.)
Declarative Memory
“knowing that” (ex: facts, personal experiences)
Episodic Memory
Personally experienced events (including contextual factors)
Semantic Memory
Know some factual info but no context/personal relevance
What two processes are involved in the reactivation of memories
encoding + retrieval
Target
Information trying to remember
Associative strength theory
A cue is effective if strongly associated with target
Cue
Information used to get you to target
Encoding Specificity Theory
A cue is effective if it was specifically encoded with the target (recent connections “override” prior associations)
According to the associative strength theory, what makes for the best cues?
Cues that are strongly associated with target
Encoding specificity hypothesis
A cue will be effective if it was specifically encoded with the target
What builds associative strength?
cue and target frequently occurring together
Context-dependent effects
Encoding specificity goes beyond just the words themselves. Recall is better when testing context matches encoding context
According to encoding specificity, what makes for the best cues?
Cues that you studied with the target (could be verbal cues/context cues)
T/F: Associative strength theory and encoding specificity both focus on what information makes a good cue?
True!
Levels of processing theory
Target is better remembered if processed “deeply”
Deep processing
Process semantics (meaning)
Shallow processing
Process basic sensory information
Problems with levels of processing theory - Circular reasoning
One task is “deeper” than another if participants had better recall; Participants had better recall using this talk so it must be the deepest; More shallow if lower recall
Challenged levels of processing
Says we should process information in a way that best aligns with what the final test will require
What could be an effective cue according to the associative strength theory?
A cue that is strongly associated with the target
What could be an effective cue according to encoding specificity
cues studied some time as the target
What could be an effective cue according to levels of processing
semantically process information (deep process)
What could be an effective cue according to transfer-appropriate processing
Process in a way to how you will be tested
Distinctiveness
A cue is effective if it distinguishes the target information from other information in memory (need separate cues that are distinct for each item) (a distinctive cue is helpful for remembering single items…. what about remembering the whole list)
Organization
Forming categories can help you remember because items in one category can cue other items in category
DRM Paradigm
Related words activate a word that was never presented (basic evidence for false memories)
T/F: Repeated exposure to information guarantees we will remember it
FALSE!
Amnesia
Brain damage can tell us a lot about how the mind works
Anterograde amnesia
Can’t remember information experienced after brain injury
Mental Rotation
Decide if figures are identical when one is rotated; Time to decide directly related to degree of rotation
Dual-Coding Theory
Can store information as verbal or visual code; Easier to remember if you have both visual and verbal
How do students study?
Self-regulated learning research
What are two encoding factors that influence long-term memory?
Spacing effect + Testing effect
Spacing effect
Studying material multiple times improves memory (but the timing of those study session makes a difference)
Mass Repetition
Repeated presentations that occur closely in time
Distributed (spaced) repetition
Repeated presentations spread out over time (finding that distributed repetition is better for long-term retention)
Why is spaced practice better?
More contextual cues allow you to access information; You forget less of the information
The testing effect
Retrieval of info is an effective means of long-term retention
What does practicing retrieval do?
Strengthen the connection between cues/target memory; Evaluate whether you know the item - if you don’t then it’s an opportunity to create a new cue
Memory of loci
Memory strategy in which you associate target information with places in a well-known location
What are some myths about learning?
Learning styles, rereading is an effective way to learn information
Self-Explanation
Examining how new info is related to known information (ex: “how does this info related to what I already know?”). Can also be explaining steps taken during problem solving (ex: “What is the numerator in this problem?”)
Visual learners
They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays
Auditory learners
Learn best through verbal lessons, discussions, talking through things, listening
T/F: There is experimental evidence supporting learning styles
FALSE!
Kinesthetic (tactile) learners
Learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them
Evidence against learning styles
Participants took a real learning style questionnaire, learned new info in each of the 3 formats, and took a final memory test overall info - found that memory was not better for material that matched their preferred style. performance was very similar regardless of whether the lesson matched their style or not
T/F: rereading is a relatively effective strategy for studying
FALSE! It’s a passive process, you don’t have to practice using/applying the information, you are just absorbing it
