Memory Flashcards
Explain the difference between Levels of Processing (LOP) and Transfer Appropriate Processing (TAP).
LOP refers to semantic meaningfulness (shallow vs. deep) and accounts for much of how we remember information. TAP refers to the similarity of info at study and test, with the idea that our memory is more accurate when there is similarity of the info at study and test. Basically, memory is not only determined by depth of processing but by the relationship between how information is initially encoded and how it is later retrieved. TAP functions within the LOP framework.
What is Schemata?
stored body of knowledge about a topic (ex: your knowledge of dogs)
What are propositions?
representation of meaning that can be stored/retrieved from memory; in form of true/false statements (ex: a dog has fur)
What is a script?
representation of a complex event; allows for predictions (ex: what happens in a restaurant, e.g., seated, given menu, order food, served, eat, pay/include tip!)
What is autobiographical memory?
memory for significant life events; childhood amnesia during earliest (up to 5 yrs old?) years; episodic precedes semantic memory in development)
What is the connection between personal relevance and memory?
our memory is better for personally meaningful info
What eyewitness memory?
memory for a special event; often emotions involved; consider attentional narrowing as a factor; consider post-event info can alter one’s memory for the event (work of Loftus & colleagues: how fast was car going when it hit/smashed into the wall? Faster estimate with the verb smashed
What considerations should be made when interviewing an eye witness?
be careful re suggestibility of client; special interviews have been designed to minimize likelihood of implanting false memories
What is prospective memory?
remembering to do things (at a future time); motivation is important.
Explain Bower’s network theory
Bower’s network theory—we discussed this with emotions theories; emotions are included in network (nodes, spreading activation); led to following 2 constructs:
What is mood state dependent recall?
recall is most accurate when mood at study matches mood at test (someone who undergoes mood induction should remember info best learned in that mood when he/she is later in the same mood)
What is mood congruence?
recall is most accurate when mood matches content of the info to be recalled (ex: depressed people remember negative info)
What is consolidation?
process of putting info into LTM; hours to days; neural involvement of hippocampus and other brain structures necessary
Who was H.M.?
Henry Molaison; most famous amnestic case; had bilateral medial temporal lobectomy to cure his epilepsy. He developed severe anterograde amnesia and could not commit new events to explicit memory. However, working and procedural memory was intact (ie he could learn a new motor skill but didn’t remember learning them). This suggest that recall from STM and Procedural memory may be mediated by different area’s of the brain and encoding and retrieval of LTM may be mediated by different systems.
Who was Clive Wearing?
another famous amnestic individual; amnesia due to viral encephalitis; procedural memories (conducting; playing piano) intact. Declarative memories severely impacted.
What are some strategies for improving memory?
see end of Memory and Learning handout; include common sense approach re maximizing one’s attention, emotional outlook, study/test similarity; individualized, meaningful strategies; also an article in Memory II handout (last page) includes information about this.
Discuss short term memory (STM).
Primary, remains in consciousness after perceived, 7 +/- 2, recency effect of serial position, includes working memory
What is declarative memory?
- Explicit memory
- involves semantic(facts) and episodic (events) memory.
- conscious, intentional recollection of previous experiences and learned information (ie, what you had for breakfast, what you read in newspaper, world hx events, etc)
What is episodic memory?
- storage and retrieval of specific events
- linked to a specific place and time
- associated with conscious recollection
- associated with “self-knowing
- recently evolved, late- developing and early deteriorating.
What is Semantic Memory?
- General knowledge of objects, word meanings, facts, people
- Lacks a particular connection to time or place
- Associated with “knowing awareness”
What is nondeclarative memory?
- Implicit memory-
- memory for procedural (skills), priming, classical condition and nonassociative learning.
- unconscious, non-intentional form of memory (ie, use of language, motor skills, riding a bike, swimming, etc)
What are the tests of Episodic memory?
- Free Recall- recall in any order
- Serial Recall- recall in original order
- Cued Recall- “What word did you study with ‘cat’?”
- Forced Choice- “Which word did you study before: ‘ballet’ or ‘monk’?”
- Yes/No Recognition- “Did you study ‘ballet’?”
- note: Remember CVLT/HVLT
How does episodic memory differ from autobiographical memory?
episodic memory differs from autobiographical memory and is one’s daily memory for events (often insignificant in grand scheme of life
What consideration should be made when giving someone a mental screening test?
Beware of memory screening measure, such as in a mental status exam, where examiner asks client to recall names of 3 objects presented 5 minutes previously; client could be anxious or depressed which may lead to poor memory; or client may be able to complete short term tasks and still have a significant memory problem. Comprehensive memory and other cognitive testing may be necessary to sort out problems.
What are Dan Schacter’s 7 sins of memory
- Different types of forgetting: transience, absent-mindedness, blocking
- Distortions of inaccuracy: misattribution, suggestibility, bias
- Pathological remembrance: persistence
What is transience?
When memory becomes less reliable over time. This is typical when information isn’t used over time. (ie. I learned French but since I had no one to regularly speak it to, I lost what I learned) Rapid forgetting: short term and working memory (ie. can remember a phone number to dial on the phone but wont remember it after you don’t need it)
Discuss the theories of transience.
Cognitive psychologists: forgetting over time described mathematically- rate of forgetting is slowed down by passage of time
Neurobiological: loss of synaptic connectivity
Cognitive neuroscience analysis: amnestic patients forget experiences rapidly with varying degrees of forgetfulness.
What is absent-mindedness?
occurs when insufficient attention is applied to a stimulus at the time of encoding or retrieval and usually occurs with automatic actions. It is common of everyday activity (ie forgetting where I put my keys or where you parked)—In my case its just common everyday ;)
What is change blindness?
Related to absent mindedness- the surprising failure to detect a substantial visual change. A form of shallow encoding- Shallow encoding that does not proceed beyond a categorical level results in poor recollection of details and vulnerability to change blindness.
What are some retrieval problems related to absent mindedness?
Failures of Prospective Memory- when people forget to execute a task.
Everyday activities (ie forgetting to take meds)
Event-based and time based
What is blocking?
when you are provided with relevant cues to a sought-after item but are unable to elicit it. affects episodic ad semantic memory. subjective because people are aware of the block when it occurs (ie during and exam, cant remember what was studied). Blocking (especially TOT increases with age)
What is Tip of the tongue state (TOT)?
type of blocking when you are unable to produce a word or name but have a powerful subjective conviction that the item is available to memory. Occurs due to retrieval of incorrect items that interfere with access to the target such as “ugly sisters”(incorrect items that are related to target and recur during the retrieval attempt.
What is misattribution?
Situation when some form of memory is present but misattributed to an incorrect time, place or person.
What are the three forms of misattribution?
- People may remember an item correctly or fact from the past but misattribute the fact to an incorrect source (ie, don’t remember where you know a face from.)
- an absence of any subjective experience of remembering; people misattribute a spontaneous thought to their own imagination, when they are actually retrieving it form a prior experience. (cryptomnesia- unintentional plagiarism)
- When individuals falsely recall or recognize items or events that never happened.
What is suggestibility?
tendency to incorporated information provided by theory into one’s own recollections (misleading information). This is related to false and recovered memories of childhood and false confessions (ie, sexual abuse, etc)
What is the difference between misattribution and suggestibility?
misattribution can occur in absence of over suggestion.
What is bias?
the disturbing influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences. Involve subtle influence of past experience on current judgments of other people and groups
What is retroactive explanation?
related to bias. people’s recollections tend to exaggerate the consistency between their past and present attitudes, beliefs and feelings.
Discuss consistency bias observed in romantic relationships.
present attachment ratings correlated highly with feelings/recall of past relationships.
What is persistence?
Remembering a fact or event that one would prefer to forget. Revealed by intrusive recollections of traumatic events, ruminations over negative symptoms and events, and by chronic fears and phobias. It can be influenced by current mood and emotions (ie dysphroic, suicidal depression)
