Memory Flashcards
Memory
persistence of learning overtime
What can affect memory
culture, attention, time, meaning
information processing model
a computer like model used to describe the way humans encode, store, and retrieve information
encoding
getting information to our brain
storage
retaining information
retrieval
getting the information back out
tip of the tounge phenomenon
simple retrieval phenomenon
recall
retrieving information that is not currently in our conscious awareness, but was learned at an earlier time.
recognition
generally easier because the first step is already complete, and only has to decide if the information is correct.
relearning
learning something more quickly when you learn it the second time, or at a later time
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Randomly selected a sample of nonsense syllables and practiced them. When he tested them he found that the more he repeated them the less time was required to learn the list. (recall, recognition, relearning)
Encoding
the information gets into our brains in a way that allows it to be relearned
Storage
the information is held in a way that allows it to later be retrieved
Retrieval
reactivating and recalling the information, producing it in a form that is similar to what was encoded.
Parrell processing
our brain can process many things simultaneously (often unconsciously)..interconnected neural networking in our brain
Some stimuli are picked up by our senses and processed by the sensory organs. This generates information which enters the…
Sensory memory
Working memory
system in our brain that allows you to temporarily retain and manipulate the stored information involved in a complex process.
Active state
contains information that you are immediately aware
Example of working memory
Use your working memory to read through slides and write down notes. Entering the working memory through vision
Example of working memory
Use your working memory to read through slides and write down notes. Entering the working memory through vision
Effortful processing
encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.
ex. school
Automatic processing
unconscious encoding of incidental information
ex. space, time, frequency
explicit memory
retention of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare.
ex. academics
Implicit memory
retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations… procedural memory
ex. riding a bike, swimming, reading
Sensory memory
external events from our senses are held just long enough to be perceived
Iconic memory
sensory input to the visual system goes into the iconic memory
Echoic memory
the branch of sensory memory used by the auditory system
haptic memory
related to your sense of touch- allows you to identify things you are touching
Who is the person associated with short term memory
george mills
Shallow processing
encoding on a basic level based on the structure of appearance
two types of shallow processing
Structural and Phonetic
Structural
encode physical qualities
phonetic
encode sound
Chunking
organizing items into familiar, manageable, meaningful units. Often happens automatically and helps you remember better.
Massed practice(cramming)
short term learning- forget quickly
Spacing effect/ distributed practice
long term retention
visual encoding
process with which one remembers visual images
acoustic encoding
the encoding of sound; sound of words
rhyming- if the glove doesn’t fit you must acquit
semantic encoding
providing meaning- applying context, examples
Fergus Craik and Robert Lockarts levels of processing model
how long and how well you we remember information depends on how deeply we process the information when it’s encoded.
Deep processing
occurs when we attach meaning to information and create associations between new memory and existing ones
Long term memory
all the memories we hold for periods of time longer than a few seconds
retrieval and use of explicit memories is facilitated by the ….
hippocampus
The cerebellum…
forms and stores our conditioned responses
We can remember a phobic fear even if we can’t remember how we got it.
The basal ganglia
control movement, forms and stores procedural memory and motor skills
Infantile amnesia
implicit memory from infancy can be retained, including skills and conditioned responses. However explicit memories only go back to age 3 because the hippocampus is not fully developed so memories are not stored.
Flashbulb memory
memories that are affected by our emotional state. Remember what you were doing, where you were, ect. Not as accurate as they feel
Why are flashbulb memories so vivid
- emotions trigger a rise in stress hormones
- hormones trigger activity in the amygdala next to hippocampus
- tags the memory as important
Long term potentiation
increase in a cells firing potential- happens after repetition
Synaptic pathways
by rehearsing or recalling information over and over neural networks become strengthened + makes it more likely to repeat
priming
triggers a thread of associations that bring us to a concept
one idea triggers another
Context-dependent memory
we retrieve a memory more easily when in the same context as when we formed the memory
State-dependent memory
memories can be tied to the physiological or emotional state we were in when we formed the memory
mood congruent memory
the tendency to selectively recall details that are consistent with ones current mood- reinforces the current mood
Serial position effect
the tendency when learning to remember the first items and last items in a long list
retrieval failure
the failure to recall a memory due to missing stimuli or cues that were present at the time of encoding
HM
His hippocampus was removed to stop seizures. He could learn new skills but had no memory of the lessons or instructors
Interference theory
some memories interfere with the retrieval of other memories, forgetting in the long term memory.
Proactive interference
older memories interfere with the retrieval of newer memories
It is easier to remember your old address over your new one.
retroactive interference
newer memories interfere with the retrieval of older ones.
Learning a new song may cause you to forget the words to the old one.
Amnesia
occurs when a person experiences full or partial loss of memory
retrograde amnesia
cannot remember things before the event that caused the amnesia
anterograde amnesia
Cannot create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia
encoding failure
occurs when a memory was never formed in the first place
in one ear out the other
Storage decay
Material encoded into long term memory will decay if memory is never used, recalled, and restored
Repression
Freud argued that our memory systems self censored information
we repress painful or unacceptable memories to protect our self-concept and minimize anxiety.
memory reconstruction
approach to understanding memory as a cognitive process and the errors that occur within it
pseudo memories
false memories that a person believes to be true
Source amnesia
the inability to remember the source of a memory while retaining its substance
