Mem and Lan (8) Flashcards
What is the principle of distributed practice?
spaced learning > massed learning
What is maintenance rehearsal?
mechanical process of recycling, simple repetition
What is the generation effect?
Better memory if you make up the answer yourself
Why is testing and feedback important?
Means self-generated errors do not persist
Does motivation have an effect on learning?
no effect from motivation (if full attention given to task)
What is the organisation principle?
easier to learn if material is meaningful and can be organised
What is dual recoding?
Better memory if word is paired with a visual image
What does the verbal component do in dual recoding?
provides “symbolic” verbal code
What does the visual component do in dual recoding?
provides an analogue mental image
Why is studying with a friend beneficial?
new retrieval paths form as you explain things to each other
How does the ‘Level of Processing’ affect learning?
deeper processing produces more elaborate, longer lasting, and stronger memory traces
Strengths of Levels of Processing?
- Places emphasis on memory processes rather than memory structures.
- True in general that elaborative processing leads to better retention.
Weaknesses of Levels of Processing?
- Effects are only truly seen if the study methods match the test methods
- Works for explicit memory, but less in implicit memory tests.
What is elaborative rehearsal?
The more you can connect with existing knowledge, the better your memory
What is retrieval?
How we access information in LTM
What is a retrieval cue?
bits of information that allows access to memory trace.
What is spreading activation?
levels of activation increase when something related is perceived/when attention is focused on the trace
What is the encoding specificity principle?
item is encoded with respect to the context in which it is studied
Why is the encoding specificity principle effective?
better retrieval when cue information matches the trace of the item-in-context
What is context-dependent memory?
When features match between encoding and retrieval
What factors are included in context dependent memory?
External environment
physiological
Mood dependent
Cognitive context dependent
What is motivated forgetting?
forget unwanted memories, either consciously or unconsciously
What is the benefit of motivated forgetting?
Can reduce anxiety of traumatic events
What is direct forgetting?
Reduced long term memory due to instructions to forget information that had been previously learned
What is Cue Dependent Forgetting?
failure to recall information without memorycues
What is Consolidation?
Physiological process involved in keeping long term memories.
What brain areas are involved in consolidation?
Thalamus
Temporal Cortex
Hippocampus
Fornix
What is retrograde amnesia?
loss of memory-access to events that occurred, or information that was learned, before an injury
What is Anterograde Amnesia?
loss of memory-access to events that occurred, or information that was learned, after an injury
What is Reconsolidation?
New consolidation process that occurs when a previously formed memory trace is reactivated
What is Korsakoff’s syndrome?
Amnesia caused by chronic alcoholism
