Memory Flashcards
What are the 3 stages of memory
acquisition, retention, retrieval
What is memory likened to
a computer
what is acquisition
the process of attending to a stimulus and encoding into memory
what is retention
preservation of stored material over an interval
what is retrieval
process of getting information back for use
what is the difference between computer and human memory
human memory is not passive
how does current context affect the way we remember things
current interpretation affects how inference what were doing
what is the MSM and who was it proposed by
Memory model consist of 3 different types of storage compartments: a sensory, ST and LT store
Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968
What is sensory memory and what does it encompass
Initial presentation of a stimulus, immediately form sensory memory of it
Encompasses iconic (very short; few hundred milliseconds) and echoic memory (about 4 seconds; important for
understanding speech)
what is STM and what does it encompass
items that we are currently aware of allows us to experience the world in an integrated fashion; where integrate what just happened into current experience
Give 2 ways items are lost from STM
decay and displacement
How can decay and displacement be avoided
practising rehearsal
what are the 2 types of rehearsal
maintenance and elaborative
what is maintenance rehearsal
keeps items active in STM
what is elaborative rehearsal
can transfer an item in STM into LTM
what happens if rehearsal isn’t practised
almost be completely gone after 20 secs
how can the capacity of the STM be increased
Chunking- grouping together to form larger
whole; occurs with expertise
how does information reach LTM
from STM through elaborative rehearsal
What are Levels Of Processing in the LTM
Memory is determined by how information is processed,
not by STM, LTM ‘box’. can be shallow or deep
What is general LTM knowledge and what is specific
Episodic memory is context SPECIFIC.
Semantic memory is general and traces not tied to set context.
give 2 examples of encoding specificity
Baddeley and the land/water study.
State-dependent Learning- match between “states” (e.g., mood, drug influence) of encoding and retrieval
what is evidence of semantic memory
semantic priming - if a word is processed
immediately preceding a second related word, the processing of the second word is enhanced.
what is passive LTM memory
trace driven memory
what is the tape recorder analogy
parts of tape can drop out/distort, but changes are random so memory is literal re-experiencing of the past when trace retrieved
what is active LTM memory
schema driven memory
what are flashbulb memories
occur for surprising, vivid experiences
e.g. disasters or assassinations
Very recoverable memories; many details are available
Whenever someone asks you to recount the details, it’s like replaying the event “tape”
what did Bartlett do for active memory
developed notion of schema in memory and argued schemas play crucial role
Remembering (1932) - revolutionised the field
What did Loftus investigate
memory can be affected by post-event information
How did Loftus and Palmer interpret their results
post-event information alters how the person’s schema and how the original event reconstructed
post-event misinformation can produce false memories of more relevant, personal details
Who looked into false confessions and how many types are there
Kassin & Wrightsman, 1985
3 types
what is a voluntary false confession
Voluntary False Confession - an innocent person confesses to committing a crime without external pressure, but s/he does not actually believe in his/her own guilt
what is a coerced compliant false confession
an innocent person confesses to committing a crime for instrumental gain, but s/he does not actually believe in his/her own guilt (
what is a coerced internalised false confession
innocent person confesses to committing a crime for instrumental gain, but s/he really believes in his/her own guilt.
give 2 examples of studies of false confessions
Paul Ingram case
Kassin & Kiechel (1996)
what is the recovered/false memory debate
Research on the reconstructive (schema-driven) approach to memory suggests that what you believe partly determines what you remember
how many core ideas fundamental to repressed memory are there
5
why must therapists be careful about how they interrogate
easy to implant memories
what is the STM also known as
working or primary memory
what is the capacity of the STM
limited; (7 + or – 2) items
what is shallow processing
processing of superficial features; not good memory
what is deep processing
processing for meaning; results in better memory
what does episodic memory do
Obeys the principle of Encoding Specificity where best retrieval cues are ones present at time items
learned
Matching the retrieval cues matches the encoding/retrieval context.
what does semantic memory do
Representations form semantic network
Cluster of related concepts are formed, is schema.
Activation can spread around network; activate one concept and activation spreads to other related concepts
define and outline what a trace is
what left behind in memory after an event has
occurred.
Can be retrieved at any time after the event
Can deteriorate with time, but fundamentally unaltered by schemas
what is a schema
a set of expectations about the way the world works
that affects the information we attend to and remember.
how does schema driven memory work
Memory is not a literal re-experiencing
Depending on current expectations, interpretation and biases, memory of the past will vary.
give examples of Bartletts experiments
War of the Ghosts
Method of serial reproduction
what did Bartlett find from his method of serial reprod experiment
Transformations were in the direction of accepted conventional representations. elaborated features until a
recognised form produced, then simplification into
something more conventional
Assignment of a name influences what is reproduced
Preservation of certain details once recognised form is achieved
What did Bartlett find from his War of the Ghosts experiment
simplification and coherence was achieved by:
Omissions
Rationalisation
Transformation of details into something more familiar and conventional
Changing order of events
fill in unconventional bits with information that was
consistent with their viewpoint
