Memory Flashcards
What is the first stage of information processing?
Input: Perceiving sensory information from the environment, such as hearing a song on the radio.
What is the second stage of information processing?
Encoding: The information is converted into nerve impulses, where it is recognised by the brain.
What is the third stage of information processing?
Storage: Information is stored in the brain.
What is the fourth stage of information processing?
Retrieval: You search the memory store for the information you want to recall, for example the song you want to recall.
What is the fifth (final) stage of information processing?
Output: You, for example, sing the song you have just recalled
What is the role of the hippocampus in memory?
-bridge between STM and LTM
-Responsible for creating and strengthening new memories
-Combines information from all the senses into one experience
-Important in forming semantic memories
What is semantic memory?
knowledge about words, concepts, and language-based knowledge and facts
What is episodic memory?
information about events we have personally experienced
What did Maguire et al. find?
The hippocampus of taxi drivers had a much larger volume than those of a control group.
What did Magire et al’s study prove?
Retaining a huge volume of information can change the volume of the hippocampus.
What is anterograde amnesia?
The inability to form new memories after damage.
What is the frontal lobe?
The ‘control centre’ of the brain which is responsible for planning, organisation and making judgements.
Why can’t anterograde amnesia patients form new memories?
The information can’t pass from short term to long term memory. This can be caused by damage to the hippocampus.
Why can’t retrograde amnesia patients recall old memories?
Their frontal lobe (behind forehead) is damaged
What is procedural memory?
It is responsible for ‘motor’ skills. These are things like walking and being able to feed ourselves.
What is attention in memory encoding?
Which information we select to be encoded.
What is the sensory memory store?
A type of storage that holds sensory information first for a few seconds or less.
What is the short term memory store?
-Holds information longer than the sensory store (up to 30 seconds).
-Has a limited capacity, if it is exceeded, some held information can be displaced.
-Formed in the hippocampus
What is the long term memory store?
stores information permanently
What is retrieval failure?
When the information is in your memory but you fail to locate it
What is the multi store model?
An explanation of how the memory works in terms of 3 stores:
Sensory Register
STM
LTM
Through flowing Storage systems
How do memories move from short term to long term memory?
Rehearsal
How do memories move from sensory to short term memory?
Attention
What is the capacity of the long term, short term and sensory stores?
Long term: Infinite
Short term: 7 (+/-2 depending on memory size)
Sensory: Large
