Memory Flashcards
memory
mental capacity to retain information makes use of experience extends space and time gives one sense of self maintains relationships is in our control; ISN'T only determined biologically
metaphors of memory
memory trace
computer
construction
memory trace metaphor
people store and retrieve memory traces
the mind is a file cabinet or library
computer metaphor
people encode, store, and retrieve data in an information processing system
the mind is a computer (obviously)
construction metaphor
people construct remembrance with possible distortions
the mind is a construction site
memory stages
sensory memory
short-term memory (STM)
long-term memory (LTM)
sensory memory
momentary preserver of sensory stimuli
types: iconic (visual), echoic (auditory), hepatic (touch)
how long do iconic sensory memories last?
0.5 seconds
how long do echoic sensory memories last?
3-4 seconds
how long do hepatic sensory memories last?
> 1 second
short-term memory (STM)
temporary work pad of the mind
consists of interpreted information
holds 7 ± 2 chunks of information
chunking
grouping items
done to better retain information
holds 4 ± 1 chunks of information
serial position effect
the beginning and end information is remembered the best
this information tends to be the most important
long term memory (LTM)
an unlimited preserver of information
lasts for years
consists of explicit and implicit knowledge
explicit knowledge
consciously available information
aka declarative knowledge
is divided into episodic and semantic categories
episodic
life events
semantic
general information (words, ideas, concepts, etc.)
implicit knowledge
not consciously available information
aka non-declarative knowledge
is divided into procedural and emotional conditioning categories
procedural
skills (ex. walking, swimming)
emotional conditioning
feelings toward an action (ex. getting nervous going to the dentist)
memory processes
encoding and retrieval
encoding
process involved in getting information into or maintained in memory
encoding processes
maintenance rehearsal
elaborative rehearsal
maintenance rehearsal
repeating actions to encode it into memory
elaborative rehearsal
associating a memory with a sense
types: sound, image, meaning
sound elaboration
associating a memory with a sound
ex. singing
image elaboration
associating a memory with an image
meaning elaboration
categorizing or organizing memories
structural encoding
emphasizes the physical structure of the stimulus
involved in shallow processing
phonemic encoding
emphasizes the sounds a word makes
involved in intermediate processing
semantic encoding
emphasizes the meaning of verbal input
involved in deep processing
which level of processing work best to retain memories?
deep processing
retrieval
the recovery of information from LTM
is affected by context-dependency and state-dependency
context-dependecy
the match of retrieval context to the encoding environment
state-dependency
the match of the retrieval state to the encoding mood.
retrieval processes
recall
recognition
recall
reproduction of the information required to retrieve a memory
recognition
identifying the information required to retrieve a memory
what causes memory failures?
encoding failures
decay/disuse of the memory
interference
brain dysfunction
encoding failure
information is not attended to and not encoded
decay/disuse
information is not used over time
interference
other information in memory makes it difficult to distinguish one memory from another
brain dysfunction
brain injury or pathology
anterograde amnesia
loss of memories for events that occur AFTER a head injury
retrograde amnesia
loss of memories for events that occurred BEFORE a head injury
source monitoring error
error that occurs when a memory derived from one source is misattributed to another source
destination memory error
error when one forgets who one has transmitted specific information to
proactive interference
memory problem that occurs when previously learned information interferes with the retention of new information
retroactive interference
memory problem that occurs when new information impairs the retention of previously learned information
