Memory Flashcards
Encoding
the process of putting new information into memory.
Can be automatic or effortful. Semantic encoding is stronger than both acoustic and visual encoding.
Semantic encoding: put it into a meaningful context
Visual encoding: we can visualize it
Acoustic encoding: store the way it sounds
Self - reference effect
putting information into the context of our lives so we can remember it
Maintenance rehearsal
the repetition of a piece of information to either keep it within working memory (to prevent forgetting) or to store it in short - term and eventually long term memory.
Mnemonics
another common way to memorize information
Method of loci
associate items w/ locations
Peg - word
associated numbers with items that rhyme with or resemble the numbers
(one sun, two show, three tree)
use images associated with numbers
Chunking (aka Clustering)
memory trick that involves taking individuals elements of a large list and grouping them together into groups of elements with related meaning.
Working Memory
requires short term memory, attention and executive function to manipulate information
the memory that allows us to do simple maths in our heads
Long term memory
requires elaborative rehearsal and is the result of increased neuronal connectivity
Sensory memory consist of:
iconic (visual) and echoic (auditory)
Sensory memory
Lasts only a short time (usually 1 second)
(
Short term is similar to
sensory memory
Short term memory
has limited duration (
short term memory can be increased by
clustering information
Explicit (declarative) memory
stores facts and stories
Type of long term memory
Implicit (non declarative) memory
stores skills and conditioning effects
Type of long term memory
Facts are stored via
Semantic networks
Recognition of information is stronger than
recall
_______ is information is often based on priming interconnected nodes of semantic networks
Retrieval
One of the ways that information makes it into long - term memory is
elaborative rehearsal : the association of the information to knowledge already stored in long term memory : related to self - reference effect
Explicit (declarative) memory can be divided into two groups:
Semantic memory
Episodic memory
Semantic memory
the facts that we know
Episodic memory
our experiences
Summary: 4 kinds of human memory?
Sensory Memory
Short term Memory
Working Memory
Long - term Memory
Summary: Long - term Memory goes into two groups…
Explicit Memory (conscious) = Declarative Memory (fact, events)
Implicit Memory (unconscious) = Procedural Memory (skills, tasks)
Summary: Declarative Memory goes into two groups…
Episodic Memory = events, experiences
Semantic Memory = facts, concepts
Retrieval
the process of demonstrating that something that has been learned has been retained
Recall
the retrieval and statement of previously learned information
Recognition
identifying a piece of information that was previously learned
It’s far easier than recall
Spacing effect
A phenomenon that states that the longer the amount of time between sessions of relearning, the greater the retention of the information later on.
Helps explain why cramming is not nearly as effective as spacing out studying over an extended period of time.
Semantic Network
when concepts are linked together based on similar meaning
red linking to other colors like orange and yellow
and linking to objects like fire truck and roses
Spreading activation
When one node of our semantic network is activated, such as seeing the word red on a sign, the other linked concepts around it are also unconsciously activated
Priming
is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus
The effects of priming can be very salient and long lasting, even more so than simple recognition memory.
Unconscious priming effects can affect word choice on a word-stem completion test long after the words have been consciously forgotten.
Context effects
common retrieval cue
the context (environmental factors) that surrounds an event effects how an event is perceived and remembered
facts learned underwater are better recalled when underwater than on land
State - Dependent Memory
retrieval cue
the phenomenon through which memory retrieval is most efficient when an individual is in the same state of consciousness as they were when the memory was formed
Drunk person will show better recall or proficiency than performing those same tasks while drunk than sober.
Serial Position effect
retrieval cue
appears while learning lists
associated with short term memory
when you give a group of people a list. They are better off remembering the first few and the last few of the list
Primacy and recency effect
people show strong recall for the first few items while recall of the last few items fades
Alzheimer’s Disease
Lead to decline in memory
Degenerative brain disorder thought to be linked to a loss of acetylcholine in neurons that link to the hippocampus
Memory loss proceeds in a retrograde fashion, with loss of recent memories before distant memories
findings:
neurofibrillary tangles and beta amyloid plaques (incorrectly folded copies of the amyloid precursor protein)
Sundowning: happens to individuals with mille to late stage Alzheimers, increase in dysfunction on the the later afternoon and evening
Dementia
Lead to decline in memory and cognitive function
Korsakoff’s Syndrome
Lead to memory loss caused by thiamine deficiency of the brain
Marked by both retrograde amnesia (loss of previously formed memories) and anterograde amnesia (the inability to form new memories)
another symptom: confabulation
retrograde amnesia
loss of previously formed memories
anterograde amnesia
the inability to form new memories
Confabulation
the process of creating vivid but fabricated memories, typically thought to be an attempt made by the brain to fill in the gaps of missing memories
This is an example of a False Memory
Agnosia
Loss of the ability to recognize objects, people, or sounds, though usually one of the three
usually caused by physical damage to the brain, such as that caused by a stroke or a neurological disorder such as multiple sclerosis
Interference
Another common reason for memory loss
Retrieval error caused by the existence of other (usually similar) information
Proactive Interference
Old information is interfering with new information
ex: can’t remember the new address because you keep thinking of your old address
Retroactive Interference
new information causes forgetting of old information
Prospective Memory
remembering to perform a task at some point in the future
primed by a trigger event
such as: remembering to buy milk when walking past the grocery store
Misinformation effect
when participants are shown several pictures including one of a car stopped at yield sign. Later on presented with written descriptions of the pictures, some of which contained misinformation, such as describing a car stopped at a sign. When asked to recall the details of the pictures, many participants insisted on having seen a stop sign in the picture.
Source Amnesia
memory construction error involving confusion between semantic and episodic memory; a person remembers the details of an event, but confuses the context under which those details were gained
Partial Report
when an individual is asked to recall a specific portion of the stimulus
very accurate but only for a brief time
method of studying sensory (specifically, iconic) memory
whole report
?
A list of named of musicians in an individuals favorite band would be stored in which form of memory?
Long term memory
7 (+/-) rule
associated with short term memory
