Memory Flashcards
memory
retention of information over time
basic memory types
encoding, storage, retrieval
encoding
getting information into memory
storage
holding information in memory over time
storage
holding information in memory over time
retrieval
finding information in the memory
maintenance rehearsal
repeating information without thinking about the meaning (phone #, grocery list)
elaborative rehearsal
thinking about the meaning of the information you’re studying
self reference effect
deepest processing level, most durable, linking what you study to yourself makes it easier to retrieve
spacing effect
learn information better by spreading out encoding into short sessions rather than long
testing effect
learn information better if you test yourself rather than just rereading
information processing model of memory storage
information must pass through 3 stages of mental processing before it’s fully embedded into memory
sensory memory
holds onto information from senses just long enough for you to identify it
short term memory
holds onto infirmation we’re currently using for a limited amount of time
working memory
allows us to do mental work (holding information in memory while you manipulate it) and make decisions, think, imagine
storage capacity
immediate memory span: max number of items you can recall perfectly after one presentation
magic number of items you can remember after one presentation
7 items (give or take 2)
short term memory duration
lasts 18-30 seconds if you’re not actively using the information
long term memory
- capable of storing all information we encounter
- once something is a long term memory, it remains there until death, disease, or injury
explicit long term memory
memory of facts/experiences that we know and can state
episodic long term memory
memory of our own personal life events, childhood, birthdays, graduation
semantic long term memory
memory of impersonal facts, generalized knowledge of the world
implicit long term memory
memory without conscious recollection (often involves unconscious influence of past experiences)
procedural long term memory
memory of how to perform routine skills and automatic tasks (brush teeth, ride bike)
retrieval
getting information out of memory (made easier with retrieval cues)
retrival cues
- aid retrieval
- info in brain stored in dense networks of association areas
- spreading activation: closely related concepts activate each other
context dependent memory
we remember info better if we’re in the same environment where the info was learned (environment provides retrieval cues)
state dependent memory
we remember info better if we’re in the same physiological state we were when we learned it (emotions, caffeine, hunger level)
reasons for forgetting
encoding failure
storage decay
fading of unused memories over time
displacement
new information replaces old information
short term memory forgetting
storage decay and displacement
retrival failure
information is there, you just can’t access it
long term memory forgetting
retrieval failure
relearning
faster to relearn info than intially learn it
hermann ebbinghaus
forgetting curve (anything you learn or don’t use, you forget)
- curve levels off
- curve can reset (repeat studying at different times)
constructing memories
- memory is a constructive process (add and subtract details)
- we remodel memories without realizing
- when you remember a long term memory, it returns to short term memory temporarily
misinformation effect
exposure to new info (especially misleading info) alters our memories
eyewitness testimony
witnesses can be lead to believe they saw things that never happened
traumatic events and memory
repression of memories rarely occurs, we overremember traumatic events
biological bases of memory
changes in brain’s synpases (new ones creates or existed ones modified)
long term potentiation
one neuron gets better at activating another neuron
acetylcholine
neurotransmitter especially effect by alzheimers
glutamine
long term potentiation process
norepinepherine
facilitates encoding of emotional memories
stress hormones
- facilitate encoding of emotional memory
- under extreme stress only remember major things
hippocampus
main structure involved in memory
- essential for ability to transfer info from short term memory to long term memory
- long term memories NOT stored here
cortex
long term memories stored in various parts of the cortex
amygdala
encoding emotional memories
cerebellum
stores memories from classical conditioning
basal ganglia
stores memories from procedural
amnesia
brain damage from physical trauma
retrograde amnesia
difficulty remembering past
- occurs as a result of generalized trauma to brain
- oftentimes people recover and remember earlier memories then later memories
anterograde amnesia
difficulty forming memories
- heavy damage to hippocampus/surrounding area
- only remember new info for 18-30 seconds
- can still form new implicit memories
H.M. inspired studies
- he suffered from epilepsy
- doctors removed parts of his temporal lobe
- result: henry couldn’t remember new info for more than 20 seconds
