memory Flashcards
encoding
changing info so it can be held in the brain
visual encoding
changing info by how it looks so it can be stored
acoustic encoding
changing info by how it sounds so it can be stored
semantic
changing info by its meaning so it can be stored
storage
holding info in memory so it can be retrieved later
retrieval
locating and bringing back info into mind
three types retrieval
recognition
cued recall
free recall
recognition
identifying from options
cued recall
locating info with a clue
free recall
remembering without cues
how are words encoded in stm
acoustically
how are words encoded in ltm
semantically
episodic memory
memory from events in your life
semantic memory
memory of the meaning of things
procedural memory
memory on how to do things
declarative
require conscious recall
strength of different types of memory
brain scans have shown separate locations in the brain for each of the three types of memory supporting the idea of different kinds of memory
episodic-right prefrontal
semantic-left prefrontal
procedural-motor area
strength of different types of memory
people who experience loss of memory due to brain damage lose only certain kinds of memory
amnesiacs like CW support LTM types
most of his procedural but not his episodic memories were intact
weakness of different types of memory
types of LTM are difficult to separate so it may be an oversimplification eg our episodic and semantic memories are very closely linked in some case for example our facts about a singer may be linked to an event such as a concert you went to
bartletts study aim
to see how memory is reconstructed when recalling a familiar story
bartletts study method
war of the ghosts study was read by one participant and asked to recall 15 mins later then showed new version to other participant and so on (serial reproduction)
belonged to a culture that was very different to theirs
bartletts results
participants remembered different parts
interpreted story within their own frames of social and cultural expectations to make it make sense
story was shortened
phrases used were changed to their own culture’s language
recalled version became fixed
bartletts conclusion
don’t remember details remember fragments then use knowledge of social situations to reconstruct memory
remembered meaning as reconstructed version is simpler to remember
weakness of bartletts study
conducted casually with no set standards in where and how people recalled
Gauld and Stephenson 1967 study found recall more accurate when participants were told that accurate recall was important from beginning
weakness of Bartletts study
own beliefs are likely to have affected way he interpreted data
analysed each type of recall and had to decide if it was accurate
since he believed that recall is affected by cultural expectations he is more likely to see that effect
weakness of bartletts study
story was unusual
may not reflect everyday reconstruction process
in everyday life our memory usually is not affected by cultural expectations
tells us little about everyday life
theory of reconstructive memory
people rebuild memory as an active process
fragments of info remembered and then rebuilt into meaningful whole
social and cultural influences on reconstruction
info that didn’t fit with their frames were transformed
effort after meaning
focus on meaning of events after make effort to interpret meaning in more familiar terms
strength of theory of reconstructive memory
support by bartletts
study reflects how memory works in everyday life which is more realistic than remembering word lists which are artificial
social origins of memory were obscured in artificial memory
weakness of theory of reconstructive memory
wrong to suggest all memories are inaccurate
personal and distinctive events people remember accurate detail
people do not always actively reconstruct memories
strength of theory of reconstructive memory
explains problems with eyewitness testimony
study showed memory is always accurate so eyewitness testimony can’t fully be trusted and relied on
inference
forgetting when two memories compete with each other
context in memory
contact of learning acts as a trigger cue when trying to remember
context enhances accuracy
false memories
act of imagining a memory can implant false memory into someone’s mind
false memories act as an example of reduced accuracy in memory
