memory Flashcards
memory
an information processing system that works constructively to encode, store, and retrieve information
3 key memory processes
- encoding
- storing
- retrieving
how does forgetting occur?
failure of any 3 of the memory stages to take place
encoding
process that controls movement from STM (working memory) to LTM (getting information in)
storage
to keep memory in the STM through rehearsal or practice
retrieval
process that controls flow of information from LTM to STM (getting information out)
3 major stages of memory
- sensory memory
- short-term memory (STM)
- long-term memory (LTM)
what 3 factors do the stages of memory differ in?
- capacity - how MUCH info can be stored
- duration - how LONG the info can be stored
- function - what is DONE with the info stored (capacity+function)
sensory input
everything we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell
when sensory input is ENCODED, it goes into our
sensory memory
sensory memory
function - holds information long enough for it to be processed for basic physical characteristics
capacity - large (can hold many items at once)
duration - very brief retention
_____ is needed to transfer info from sensory memory into working memory
attention
sensory memory is divided into 2 types
- iconic memory (visual info) - retained for around 250s
- echoic memory (auditory info) - retained for around 3s
psychologists believe that during the sensory memory stage, there is a separate register for each sense
iconic memory - eye
echoic memory - ear
tactile memory - touch
olfactory memory - smell
gustatory memory - taste
which memory stage forms automatically without attention or interpretation
sensory memory
when information is given attention, it will go into STM, which has a capacity of
7 ± 2 pieces of information
maintenance rehearsal
the action of repeating or practicing information in order to keep it in STM
also known as working memory
short-term memory
short-term memory consists of 3 components
- central executive - resembles “attention”
- phonological loop - holds info in a speech-based form
- visuo-spatial sketchpad - specialized for holding visual and spatial info
short-term memory
function - conscious processing of info
capacity - limited (holds 7 ± 2 items)
duration - brief storage (20s)
if maintenance rehearsal cannot be used
memory decays quickly
an example of a way to improve STM
chunking (grouping small bits of info into larger units)
once info is passed from sensory information to working memory (rehearsed), it can then be encoded into the
long-term memory
long-term memory
function - organizes and stores information (more passively than STM)
capacity - unlimited
duration - unlimited
what is usually encoded from a piece of information?
meaning rather than the exact expression
storage into long-term memory is known as
consolidation
long term potentiation
strengthening of synapses, the cellular foundation for memory
retroactive interference
new information interferes with the retention of old info in working memory
proactive interference
old information interferes with the recall of new info
ways to strengthen retrieval
- mnemonics
- method of loci
- making something personally relevant
proactive and retroactive retrieval interference
proactive - new phone number replaces old phone number
retroactive - old route home blocks new route home
factors that affect retrieval
- level of processing
- organization of info
- context
types of long-term memory
- episodic memory
- semantic memory
- declarative
- procedural
- prospective
stores every event/situation you have been involved in
episodic memory (autobiographical)
memory of facts about the world
ex: london is the capital of UK
semantic memory
memory of facts and events, refers to memories that are explicitly recalled (explicit memory)
declarative memory
memory for procedures
ex: how to ride a bike
procedural memory
memory for things to be done in the future
prospective memory
