Memory Flashcards
memory process
- Encoding involves the input of information into the memory system.
- Storage is the retention of the encoded information.
- Retrieval, is getting the information out of memory and back into awareness.
Encoding two types of processing
automatic processing : without conscious awarness (encoding of details like time, space, frequency…)
effortful processing: encoding of details that takes time and effort
Types of encoding
semantic, visual and acoustic
semantic encoding
encoding of words and their meanings
visual encoding
encoding of images (words that create a mental image)
acoustic encoding
encoding of sounds
self-reference effect
tendency for an individual to have a better memory for information that relates to oneself in comprasion to material that has less personal relevance
Storage
Creation of permanent record of information (like a computer processes infromation)
Three types of memory
sensory memory, short term memory, long-term memory
Sensory register
It is a very brief memory that allows people to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimulus has ceased.
Sensory memory
storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes
Short term memory
A limited-capacity memory system involved in the retention of information for brief periods, (grocery list, phone number) If it is not repeated: quickly forgotten from STM.
Working memory
STM + mental processes/ briefly holds the information we need when we are thinking and solving problems /Working memory is the part of short-term memory that allows our brain to hold onto information for a brief period of time, while doing something else.
memory consolidation
Transfer of STM to long-term memory.
One way memory consolidation can be achieved is through rehearsal.
Rehearsal
the conscious repetition of information to be remembered
Chunking
organizing information into manageable bits or chunks.
Elaborative rehearsal
technique in which you think about the meaning of the new information and its relation to knowledge already stored in your memory.
Mnemonic devices
memory aids that help us organize information for encoding.
Serial position effect
The tendency for recall of the first and last items on a list to surpass recall of items in the middle of the list. (primary effect and recency effect)
Long term memory
LTM is the memory system involving long-term storage of information. It can store limitless amounts of information.
Two component of LTM
Explicit (declarative) and implicit (non-declarative)
Explicit memory
memories of facts and events we can consciously remember and recall/declare
Two types of explicit memory
semantic memory (knowledge about words, concepts and language) and episodic memory (information about events we have personally experienced
implicit memory
memories that are not apart of our consciousness (form through behaviors)
Two types of implicit memory
procedural (stores information about how to do things) / emotional conditionning
eyewitness identification
is the leading cause of wrongful convictions
Factor of eyewitness biases
Cross-race identification (we are better at recognizing faces from our own ‘race’).
The wording of questions,
Leading questions,
Suggestive comments (suggestibility- see next slide)
Eyewitness bias (e.g. hairstylist, will recognize hair of criminal)
memory construction
formulation of new memories
memory reconstruction
process of briging up old memories (When we retrieve memories, we tend to unintentionally alter and modify them, resulting in inaccuracies and distortions.)
Suggestibility
is the effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories.
leading questions
questions asked using words chosen to lead the witness to answer as the questioner wishes
Confabulation
Confusion of an event that happened to someone else with one that happened to you. / Belief that you remember something when it never actually happened .
flash bulb memory
a record of an atypical and unusual event that has very strong emotional associations/ can act as generational reference points/ Flashbulb memory formation may depend on cultural reference and personal investment
Flash bulb memories characterization
by surprise, illumination, and seemingly photographic detail
misisnformation effect paradigm
after exposure to incorrect information, a person may misremember the original event.
false memory syndrome
recall of false autobiographical memories
Parts of the brain that are involved in memory
prefrontal cortex (remembering semantic facts, encoding (left), retriaval information(right)), amygdala (fear memories, emotional information, encoding memory), hippocampus (explicit memory, memory consolidation, recognition and spatial memory, connection between memories), cerebellum (processing procedural memories)
amnesia
the loss of LTM that occurs as the result of isease, physical trauma or psychological trauma
2 types of amnesia
anterograde amnesia (inability to remeber new information after point of trauma/Hippocampus is usually affected – causes inability to transfer information from STM to LTM.)
retrograde amnesia (loss of memory (partial or complete) for events that occurred prior to the trauma.)
