Memory Flashcards
What is memory?
The capacity of the brain to store information, retain and retrieve it.
What happens to all information which enters the brain?
It passes through sensory memory and enters the short term memory.
What happens to information that is not transferred to the long term memory?
It is discarded.
In what two ways is information lost from the STM?
Displacement - pushing out old information with new
Decay - the breakdown of the memory trace
What is rehearsal?
Rehearsal involves repeating a piece of info many times which helps to transfer info to the LTM.
What is chunking?
The term given to the organisation of many pieces of info into smaller chunks of info.
What is serial position effect?
When information is viewed in a sequence and so the first and last pieces are remembered best.
Why is the first piece of information remembered well?
It has been rehearsed more.
Why are the middle pieces of information not remembered?
The short term memory is crowded.
Why are the last pieces of information remembered?
They have not yet been displaced from the short term memory.
What is working memory?
It is an extension of the short term memory. It allows information to be processed while held in the STM and allows cognitive tasks.
What must happen to information for it to be passed to the LTM?
It must be encoded.
How can information be encoded?
By shallow repetition.
Elaborative encoding.
Information can be transferred to the LTM successfully by what?
- Rehearsal
- Organisation
- Elaboration of meaning
How does rehearsal aide the retention of information?
It facilitates the transfer of information from the STM to the LTM.
