Memory Flashcards
Stages of memory
sensory, short term, long term
Sensory memory
lasts for only seconds; connection between perception and memory. Iconic and echoic
George Sperling
Studied iconic memory and found that people can see more than they can remember. Shown series of letters like : GRXP ILTH and told to write it won. Could do first line and then forgot second while writing first
Iconic memory
sensory memory of vision
Ulric Neisser
Coined the term icon for brief visual memory. Icon memory lasts for about 1 second. Found that bright light or new pattern can erase original image
Backward masking
Presentation of bright light or new image after original image that interferes with visual memory. more successful if mask is similar to original stimulus
Echoic memory
sensory memory for auditory sesations
Short term memory
Lasts for seconds or minutes; capacity of about 7 items. Largely auditory–items encoded phonologically
Working memory
temporary memory that is needed to perform the task that someone is working on at that moment
George Miller
found that STM has a capacity of about 7 items (+/- 2 items)
Chunking
grouping items. Can increase the capacity of STM
Primary (maintenance) rehearsal
Repeating material in order to hold it in short term memory
Secondary (elaborative) rehearsal
Organizing and understanding material in order to transfer it to long term memory
Proactive interference
When information that is disruptive to new learning was learned prior to new items
Retroactive interference
When disruptive information is presented after new learning. Causes retroactive inhibitions
Long term memory
Capable of permanent retention. Most items learned semantically, for meaning.
Savings
measures how much information about a subject remains in long term memory by assessing how long it takes to learning something the second time instead of the first
Encoding specificity principle
material is more likely to be remembered if it is retrieved in the same context in which it was stored. Applies to Long Term memory
Episodic memory
details, events, and discrete knowledge
semantic memroy
general knowledge of the world
Procedural memory
knowing “how to” do something. Ride a bike
Declarative memory
knowing a fact
Explicit memory
knowing something and being consciously aware of the fact that it is known
implicit memory
knowing something without being aware of knowing it