Memory

Question 1

Memory

Answer 1

the means by which we draw on our past experiences to use that information in the present

Question 2

2 types of explicit memory tasks and which one is easier

Answer 2

recognition - identifying an item as one you have been exposed to previously. usually easier

recall - producing an item from memory

Question 3

3 types of recall

Answer 3

serial - recalling items in the exact order in which they were presented

free - recalling items in any order

cued - be calling the other item when given the first item of a pair

Question 4

Implicit memory

Answer 4

we use information from memory but are not consciously aware of doing so

Question 5

Three Store model of memory (Atkinson)

Answer 5

1. Sensory store - limited amount of information for a very brief time, 9 items
2. Short-term - relatively limited capacity (7 items) for somewhat longer time
3. Long-term - large-capacity very long time

Question 6

Permastore

Answer 6

Very long-term storage of information such as knowledge of a language

Question 7

Levels of Processing framework

Answer 7

Memory is a continuous dimension in terms of depth; infinite levels with no distinct boundaries.
Items can be encoded through elaboration

Question 8

Self-reference effect

Answer 8

People relate to presented words they remember them much better

Question 9

Working memory

Answer 9

Brief, temporary memory storage that holds the most recently activated portion of long term memory; critical component of intelligence

Question 10

Working memory model (+brain areas)

Answer 10

Integration of working memory and levels of processing framework

1. the visuospatial sketchpad - briefly holds visual images (occipital lobe)
2. the phonological loop - briefly holds inner speech for verbal comprehension: phonological storage - holds information in memory & subvocal rehearsal - repeatong a word to store it ; articulatory suppression (Brocas, Wernickes)
3. central executive - coordinate attentional activities (prefrontal cortex)
4. subsidiary slave systems - other cognitive or perceptual tasks
5. episodic buffer - integration of the sketchpad, the loop & the long-term memory into a unitary episodic representation (frontal lobes)

Question 11

two kinds of explicit memory

Answer 11

semantic memory - stores general world knowledge, facts not unique to us

episodic memory - stores personally experienced episodes

Question 12

people with exceptional memory and their tricks (3)

Answer 12

mnemonists - they rely on one type of stimuli and transfer other stimuli to that type

1. converting a lot of material into visual stimuli
2. numbers into dates
3. numbers into groups

Question 13

Synesthesia

Answer 13

experience of sensations in a sensory modality different from the stimulated sense

Question 14

Hypermnesia

Answer 14

the process of producing retrieval of memories that seem to be forgotten (hypnosis)

Question 15

amnesia and 3 types

Answer 15

severe loss of explicit memory

retrograde, anterograde, infantile

Question 16

Alzheimers disease and what does this brain contain

Answer 16

causes dementia and progressive and irreversible memory loss

starts with impairment of episodic memory

brain decreases in size
plaques - protein deposits
tangles - harm neural communication

Question 17

3 stages of memory storage

Answer 17

1. encoding - transforming sensory information into a mental representation
2. storage - keeping those representations in memory
3. retrieval - gaining access to information stored in memory

Question 18

what type of information is most important in long-term and short-term memory

Answer 18

short-term : acoustic information is more important - we transform visual into acoustic

long-term : semantic meaning is most important, people remember words by putting them in categories (except autistic people)
visual information is also important

Question 19

interference

Answer 19

mixing up 2 or more different information in memory

Question 20

decay

Answer 20

forgetting information over time

Question 21

retrospective vs prospective memory

Answer 21

memories for the past / memories for things we need to remember for the future

Question 22

ways to move from short-term to long-term memory (3)

Answer 22

consolidation - integrating new information into stored information by making associations

rehearsal - repeated recitation of an item

spacing effect - distribution of study sessions over time: distributed (over months) vs massed (less effective)

Question 23

Metamemory

Answer 23

our ability to think about & control our own thought processes and ways to enhance them

Question 24

sleep and memory

Answer 24

disruptions during REM stage decrease memory performance

Question 25

Mnemonic devices and 7 types

Answer 25

specific techniques that add meaning to otherwise meaningless lists of items to help memorize

categorical clustering - organize a list of items into categories

interactive images - imagine the items as objects that interact with each other

pegword system - associate each word with one already memorized word

method of loci - visualise walking around a known place and associate items with landmarks

acronym - a word where each letter stands for an item

acrotic - a sentence

keyword system - link the sound and meaning of foreign words to the sound and meaning of a familiar one