Memory Flashcards
Memory
Memory is the ability to take in information, store it, and recall it later. This information takes many forms including images, sounds and or meaning. It is a record of experience that guides future action.
Storage
Where information is stored in the brain
Duration
How long a memory lasts for
Capacity
How much can be stored at any time in each section
Retrieval
The process of recalling information to use. Can either be intentional remembering or a passive recall.
Retrieval Cue
A retrieval cue is a stimulus that initiates remembering. These can be external (e.g., an image, text, or scent) or internal (e.g., a thought or sensation). Cues can be encountered inadvertently or deliberately sought in the process of deliberately trying to remember something.
Recall
Retrieving information from memory with few if any cues. Example: completing a test.
Recognition
Correctly identifying or selecting previously learned information from a set of alternatives. Example: Completing a multiple-choice question. Easier than recall.
Sensory Memory
Extremely brief storage of information from each of the sense, in a relatively unprocessed form. Most immediate form of memory.
Duration: couple of seconds
Sensory Registers
The individual subsystems of sensory memory. The sensory registers include sound, touch, sight, smell, and taste (the five senses). Information is stored in each register for only a few seconds.
Iconic and Echoic memory
Iconic Memory
Brief memory of something just seen, duration of 1 second and can store up to 20 memories/items (capacity).
Echoic Memory
Brief memory of something just heard, duration 3 seconds and can store up to 1-2 memories/items (capacity).
How is sensory memory transferred to STM?
Information is passed from the sensory memory into short-term memory via the process of attention, which effectively filters the stimuli to only those which are of interest at any given time.
Short Term Memory (STM)
Memory system that receives and encodes new information from sensory memory and receives information from long term memory for temporary use. Holds all the memory you are currently thinking about or are consciously aware of.
Duration and Capacity of STM
Duration: approximately 20-30 seconds
Capacity: 5-9 items can be in STM
Rehearsal
Rehearsal involves repeating the information repeatedly. Keeps information in STM.
2 Types
Elaborative Rehearsal
Thinking about the meaning of the term to be remembered
Maintenance Rehearsal
Repeating information over and over to keep it in working memory.
Chunking
Chunking increases storage capacity of STM
How is information transferred from STM to LTM?
Encoding
Encoding
Involves transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory.
Types of Encoding
- Visual- The encoding of picture images.
- Acoustic- The encoding of a sound, especially the sound of words.
- Semantic- The encoding of meaning, like the meaning of words.
Long Term Memory
A relatively permanent information storage system that enables one to retain, retrieve and make use of skills and knowledge hours, weeks or even years after they were originally learned.
Duration and Capacity of LTM
Unlimited
Semantic Network Theory
Information is stored as groups of concepts (or nodes); these nodes are meaningfully linked and form part of overlapping networks.
*Nodes may be thoughts, images, concepts, smells, tastes, memories, emotions, or any other piece of information.
Procedural Memory (part of semantic network theory)
How to do things, motor skills. E.g., How to dress yourself in the morning
Declarative/Explicit Memory (part of semantic network theory)
Must consciously work to remember it. Can explain it.
Episodic Memory (part of explicit memory)
Specific personal events and their context E.g. How did you get home from school?
Semantic Memory (part of explicit memory)
General Knowledge and facts. E.g., what is the capital of Greece
Serial Position Effect
Is the tendency of a person to recall the first and last items in a series best, and the middle items worst.
Primary Effect
The better recall of items from the beginning of list (first three or four items) – in STM
Recency Effect
The better recall of items from the end of the list (last three or four items) – in STM
Mnemonic Devices
Specific techniques for improving LTM usually by forging a link or association between the new information to be remembered and information previously encoded. A mnemonic device can be simple, such as a basic rhyme.
*Rhymes- A collection of words that rhyme and have similar sounding keywords.
Amygdala
Main Function: regulates emotions specifically fear and aggression
Involved in memory consolidation (makes memories easier to recall)
- Emotional Memories
- Drives to make adolescent decisions
Hippocampus
- Where declarative information and memories are encoded
- Cannot form new semantic memories without the hippocampus
- Helps form new long term semantic and episodic memories
Cerebellum
- Involved in the creation of implicit long-term memories (procedural and motor learning)
Prefrontal Cortex
- Involved in processing and retaining information
- Encodes task relevant information in STM
