Memory Flashcards
Memory
The capacity to retain and retrieve information
Recall
Ability to retrieve information which has been learned earlier
Recognition
Ability to identify previously encountered information
Relearning
Effort is saved in having learned something before
Information Processing Model
Memory and mind are like a computer
Encoding
Process of transforming the info received through the senses into memory
Levels of Processing
Different levels of processing that impact encoding
Shallow Processing
Structural encoding - emphasizes the physical structure of the stimulus
Intermediate processing
Phonemic encoding - emphasizes what a word sounds like
Deep processing
Semantic encoding - emphasizes the meaning of verbal input
Sensory Memory
- Retains for 1-2 seconds
- Decides if stuff is worth processing
- Iconic: fast-decay of visual info
- Echoic: fast-decay of auditory info
Short Term Memory
- Holds limited amounts of info
- Working memory
- Retains info for 15-20 secs
- Pattern recognition: compares to info already in long term memory, goes to long term or decays or is lost
Long Term Memory
- Longer storage for minutes to decades
- Storage depends on synaptic connections
- Organized by schemas and semantic networks
Explicit (Declarative) memory
Act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past-experiences (Knowing “that”)
Episodic (Explicit) Memory
Experienced events, personal recollections that allows us to both recollect the past & imagine the future
Semantic (explicit) memory
Facts, rules, concepts, general knowledge
Implicit Memory
Unconscious influence of past experiences on later behavior & performance
Procedural (Implicit) Memory
Acquiring skills due to practice; knowing “how” to do things
Priming (Implicit) Memory
Increases identification of objects/words based on recent exposure to other stimuli
Serial Position Effect
More likely to remember first and last few and not the middle
Primacy Effect
Memory of beginning pieces of list
Recency Effect
Memory of end pieces of the list
Frequency
Numerous mentions increases memory
Distinctiveness
Increases likelihood
Maintenance Rehearsal
Retain in short-term memory (repeat phone #)
Elaborative Rehearsal
Know it, review, practice, give meaning
Visual Imagery
Create visual images to represent words/concepts
Method of Loci
Match up existing visual images with concepts
Mnemonics
Systematic strategies for remembering information; memory tricks or useful tools to aid memory (ex. ROY G BIV)
Dual-Coding Theory
Memory is enhanced by using both semantic and visual codes sine either can lead to recall
Chase & Simon research with chess players
Expert knowledge helps memory of relevant information
Flashbulb memories
Dramatic positive or negative memory; more likely to remember significant memories (positive or negative)
Suggestibility
Rise of implanted memories of small details or entire episodes
- Tend to fill in missing information
- Words impact memories
- Responsible for false memories
Reality Monitoring
Deciding whether memories are based on external or internal sources
Source memory (monitoring)
Recall of when, where, and how information was acquired
Memory misattribution (source monitoring error)
Assigning a memory to the wrong source
Retroactive Interference
New information interferes with old
Proactive interference
Old information interferes with new
Motivated forgetting
Painful memories blocked from consciousness (Freud - psychoanalytical perspective)
Retrieval cues
External information helps memory
Encoding specificity
A cue can help as a reminder when it recreates the specific way the information/memory was encoded
Amnesia
Memory deficit
Retrograde amnesia
Can’t recall events before amnesia
Anterograde amnesia
Can’t learn after amnesia
Persistence
Emotional arousal leads to enhanced memory
Blocking
Stored info. temporarily unavailable
Absentmindedness
Failures of attention, poor encoding, forget to do things in future (automatic behaviors)
Transience
Rapid decline in memory, gradual forgetting, detail (general decay + interference)
Chunking
Combines info into single, meaningful item
Hippocampus
Puts info in long-term memory (NOT site of long-term storage)
Consolidation
Act of recalling, thinking, & talking about a memory
Working memory
Maintenance of info in short-term storage
Organizational encoding
Finding relationships between items to make them easier to retrieve
