Memory Flashcards
ionic memory
visual sensory memory
echoic memory
auditory sensory memory
short-term memory
limited storage for all thoughts and information
decay
information is not retrieved and fades over time
displacement
information is replaced by new data
working memory
stm - information from the sensory memory and ltm are held there
explicit memories
memories that involve information that can be consciously retrieved and stated
episodic memories
the memory of personally experienced events
semantic memories
the memory of facts
implicit memory
memory which does not require conscious retrieval
procedural memories
memory of motor skills and actions which have been previously learned, are often difficult to put into words
classically conditioned memories
conditioned responsed to conditioned stimuli acquired thorugh cc, esp fear and anxiety
amygdala (memory)
- adds emotional context to declarative memories
- encoding
- transfer from stm to ltm for emotionally arousing memories
hippocampus (memory)
- integrates information from a number of brain areas to form a declarative memory which is transferred to the ltm
- encoding
- transfer from stm to lmt for implicit memories
cerebral cortex (memory)
- the storage destination for explicit memories
- storage
- explicit memories are widely distributed, often stored where they are first processed
cerebellum (memory)
- stores procedural memories of learnt motor skills that require muscle coordination
- (temporary) storage/encoding
- fine muscle movements, balance + posture, ease and fluency of motion
- motor components of cc reflexes
how do the hippocampus and amygdala work together to encode emotionally arousing memories for storage?
- adrenalin is released (induces release of noradrenaline in amygdala)
- stimulates amygdala to attach emotional significance
- signals to hippocampus to encode and ensure long-term storage of emotional details
- hippocampus remembers explicit details
- amygdala remembers implicit, emotional context and sympathetic NS reactions
recall
retrieving information using few or no cues
free recall
reproducing as much information as possible in no particular order without the use of a specific cue
serial recall
reproducing information in the order in which it was presented
cued recall
the use of cues to aid retrieval and reproduction of the required information
recognition
identifying the original learnt information from among alternatives. the presence of correct information acts a a cue for its retrieval
relearning
learning information again that has been previously learned and stored in the ltm. method of savings
method of savings
used to measure the amount of information saved from previous learning
method of savings formula
(no. of trials for original learning) - (no. of trials for relearning) / (no. of trials for original learning) multiplied by 100
reconstruction
combining stored information with available information to form a more complete memory. most evident when retrieving an episodic memory of a specific event
what did barlett conclude?
that we only remember a few key details and during recall, we reconstruct the memory. usually unconscious, drawing on personal beliefs and experiences to fill in the blanks plausibly
eye witness testimony
any first-hand account given by an individual of an event that they have seen
leading questions
have content or are phrased in a way that suggests what answer is desired or lead to the desired answer
the problem with leading questions
the witness may add false information and reconstruct the memory in an incorrect way
loftus experiment one
- videos of various car accidents shown to participants
- different verbs used in leading question (smashed, bumped, collided)
- more intense verbs brought about higher speed estimates
loftus experiment two
- participants shown a clip of an mvc
- similiar leading quesiton (smashed, bumped, etc) but also a control group w/ no speed question
- after a week, participants were asked if they had seen broken glass
- those asked using the verb ‘smashed’ reported seeing broken glass despite there not being any in the video
brain trauma
any brain injury that impairs the normal functioning of the brain
neurodegenerative disease
a disorder characterised by the progressive decline in the structure, activity and function of brain tissue
amnesia
the loss of memory which is inconsistent with ordinary forgetting. generally causes difficulty accessing information from the ltm or have difficulty forming new memories
anterograde amnesia
the loss of the ability to form or store new long-term memories (mostly explicit). associated with damage to the medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampus and connections between the temporal lobe and frontal lobes
what causes anterograde amnesia?
- failure of memory encoding and storage due to disruption of consolidation
- lack of integration into ltm
retrograde amnesia
loss of memory before a trauma
damage to the hippocampus
- impairs consolidation
- does not affect implicit procedural memories (affects memory of process of learning)
- right: spatial memory, learning and remembering the location of objects
- left: difficulty remembering verbal information
damage to the amygdala
- problems with the formation of emotional memories
- severe damage may inhibit a person’s ability to acquire a fear conditioned response
- tends to not affect stm, procedural or explicit memory
damage to the cerebral cortex
- depends on the affected lobe
- overall, difficulty retrieving explicit memories
- impairment of other memory processes (eg attention)
- may impact communication between lobes
damage to cerebellum
- seriously impaired spatial learning and memory, and motor impairments
- classically conditioned simple reflex motor responses to a conditioned stimulus are also affected (but original UCS reflex is not lost)
alzhiemer’s disease
a type of dementia characterised by the gradual widespread degeneration of brain neurons
- outer part of the brain is usually affected first
- stm loss is one of the first symptoms
- as the disease progresses, ltm is increasingly impaired
- primarily explicit memories
how is alzheimer’s diagnosed accurately?
after death through autopsy
alzheimer’s early symptoms
- moderate memory loss
- confusion
- unusual irritability
- impaired decision making
- needing to be prompted about social care tasks
alzheimer’s later symptoms
- inability to recognise family members or regular carers
- forgetting one’s own identity
- severe personality changes
alzheimer’s effect on memory
- both retro and anterograde amnesia
- episodic (forgetting part or all of a specific event)
- semantic (forgetting known information such as names for objects or words)
- spatial (inability to remember or follow written or verbal directions)
- procedural (inability to perform everyday tasks)
alzheimer’s brain damage
- cortical and sub-cortical areas look shrivelled due to death of neurons
- median temporal lobe most affected, particularly hippocampus
main cause of neuron death in alzhiemer’s?
accumulation of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
plaques
- fragments of the protein beta amyloid
- form hard clumps outside and around the neurons
tangles
- inhibit transport of essential substances throughout the neuron
- formed from a protein called tau
acetylcholine (ACh)
- involved in processing memory and learning
- greatly reduced in alzhiemer’s
medications for alzheimer’s
medications which mimic ACh in early or middle stages can improve the efficiency of damaged neurons, slowing the development of symptoms
forgetting
the inability to access or recover information previously stored in the memory
retrieval cue
any stimulus which assists the process of locating and recovering information stored in the memory
context dependent cue
environmental cues in the specific context where the memory was formed
state dependent cues
associated with an individual’s internal physiological and/or psychological state at the time the memory was formed
maintenance rehearsal
repeating the information being remembered over and over again so that it can be maintained in the stm
elaborative rehearsal
the process of linking new information in a meaningful way with other new information or information stored in the ltm
serial position effect
the tendency for free recall to more efficiently consolidate items at the beginning and end of a list
primacy effect
- superior recall of items at the beginning of a list
- received more attention and rehearsal
recency effect
- superior recall of items at the end of a list
- still in the stm
