memory Flashcards
H.M.
was the most studied neuropsychological patient. He had one of the most severe cases of amnesia ever observed;
Memory:
the processes that allow us to record, store, and later retrieve experiences and information
Allows us to learn from experience and adapt to changing environments
process
Encoding: recording information in a form usable to memory.
Storage: the maintenance of material saved in memory.
Retrieval: locating material and bringing it into awareness so that it can be used.
Sensory memory
the initial, momentary storage of information, lasting only an instant.
The first storehouse of information.
Operates as a kind of snapshot that stores information for a brief moment in time.
Iconic memory reflects information from the visual system.
Echoic memory stores auditory information coming from the ears.
If sensory memory does not pass into short-term memory, it is lost for good.
Iconic Stor
Sperling (1960) investigated how long iconic store holds information.
Experiment 1: matrix of letters flashed to 1/20 sec. Later asked to recall as many as possible.
Experiment 2: letters presented with either H, M or L pitched tone. Specified line of the Iconic image was read before it rapidly disappeared.
Echoic store
Can keep auditory information for several seconds (Winkler et al., 2002)
Short-term Memory
Short-Term Memory Capacity:
Holds about 7 ± 2 meaningful items
Digit-span test: Used to assess a person’s short-term memory capacity
Short-Term Memory
Retention:
Rapid forgetting without
rehearsal
Chunking:
combining individual items into larger units of meaning. Items are recoded into a smaller number of larger units.
Without rehearsal STM keeps information only for about 20 seconds.
Rehearsal
the repetition of information that has entered short-term memory.
Maintains information in short-term memory when repeated.
Allows transfer of information into long-term memory.
Craik & Lockhart (1970)
Maintenance Rehearsal: simple, rote repetition
Keeps information active in working memory
Not an optimal method to transfer information into long-term memory
Elaborative Rehearsal: focusing on the meaning of information or expanding (elaborating) on it in some way
mnemonics!!!
Features of elaborative rehearsal
Organizing information
Understanding meaning of information
Applying information to one’s life
Relating information to previously learned concepts
Working memory
a memory system that holds information temporarily while actively manipulating and rehearsing that information.
It contains a central executive processor that is involved in reasoning, decision making, and planning.
It also has three subsystems:
The visual store (visuo-spatial sketchpad);
The verbal store (phonological loop); and
The episodic buffer—which contains information that represents events and occurrences.
Working Memory
Phonological loop: stores mental representations of sounds
Visuospatial sketchpad: stores visual and spatial information
Working memory allows us to keep information in an active state so we can do something with it.
As it processes information, it uses a significant amount of cognitive resources; and the number of chunks that can be held and processed is limited.
The cognitive effort involved can make us less aware of our surroundings.
Finally, stress can reduce the capacity of working memory.
Ramirez & Beilock
) Anxious thoughts often exhaust peoples WM capacity and interfere with their performance
Testing situation
10 minutes waiting
10 minutes writing about their anxieties
Hypothesis: Students who wrote about their thoughts will not be effected by them while working on the task.
Pennebaker’s research (impact of writing)
Long-term memory
stores information on a relatively permanent basis, although it may be difficult to retrieve.
Almost unlimited capacity.