Memory Flashcards
Define memory
the ability to take in information, store + recall it at a later time
What are the 3 stages of memory?
- encoding
- storage
- retrieval
Describe the Atkinson + Shiffrin model
- external events + sensory input LEADS TO - sensory memory + attention to important info LEADS TO - long-term memory
What are the 3 main forms of memory storage?
- sensory
- short-term
- long-term
Why don’t we go blind when we blink?
we don’t notice the darkness bc of sensory memory
> our memory holds the image for a second while we blink
Why is iconic memory useful?
bc we have a continuous perception of the world
What does sensory memory do?
retains incoming perceptual info after the OG stimulus is gone
Describe the Sperling Partial Report experiment
> letters were presented in 3 rows
> a box appeared to indicate what row to report the letters from
Describe the results from the SPR experiment
- recall of 44%
- exposure time for stimulus = too brief for item rehearsal
- recall of each row = 100%
Give an example of real world intuition
- film movies are individual snapshots BUT we see a continuous image
Describe the Simon + Levin’s Change blindness study
- memory hold onto previous image during blank screen
- if the screen is too long, you won’t be able to compare the 2 images
What were the results of Simon + Levin’s change blindness study?
- only 2% of subjects notice the change
- they can’t hold on to the image of the experimenter (because the door interrupts + disrupts the memory)
What info does STM hold?
the info that we are currently processing
What keeps info active in STM?
rehearsal
How is info moved from STM into LTM?
- rehearsal: conscious repetition of info
- encoding: effortful processing to organise active info
STM is short w small capacity unless…
you rehearse to keep the info active
Describe the serial position effect
- order of words in a list influences the recall
- best recall = for the items last in the list
What is chunking? What is a chunk?
- organising information into smaller chunks
- chunks = a meaningful unit of information/material
Why is chunking useful?
because organised info is more easily recalled
What does chunking depend on?
- previous experience
EX. Abbreviations I use won’t be the same that others use
What did Chase & Ericsson do?
- SF expanded his STM from 7 digits to 80 digits
- SF encoded the digits as running times to remember them
Describe the chess experiment
- 2 groups: novice + expertise
- showed real + random chess boards w the same no. pieces
- if memory allowed us to remember chess pieces > then both groups should remember
What were the results of the chess experiment?
- experts have better memory than novices bc they could group the pieces together
Define forgetting
inability to retrieve info due to poor encoding, storage or retrieval
What are the two reasons that forgetting happens?
- interference
- decay
Describe the Peterson & Peterson (1959) Duration + Decay in STM
- meausre the duration of working memory
- had people count backwards in 3s while remembering a group of 3 constants
How long is working memory if you don’t rehearse?
20s
How is memory lost in LTM?
decay: practice to strengthen long term memories
Interference: new stuff affects how we remember old stuff
Describe the Ebbinghaus Study
- Forgetting curve over 30 days
- initially rapid then levels off with time
What are the two types of interference?
- proactive
- retroactive
What is proactive interference?
- old known info inhibits ability to remember old info when testing new
What is retroactive interference?
- new info inhibits ability to remember old info when testing old
According to the Loftus study, memory is not _____?
verdicial
Describe the Loftus, Miller & Burns study
- group 1: saw vid of red car approaching STOP sign
- group 2: saw vid of car approaching YIELD sign
> BOTH groups were asked if they saw another car pass the stop sign
What were the results of the Loftus, Miller & Burns study?
> some people in group 2 said they saw a stop sign
> people reconstruct memories
What are the two processes that can help LTM?
retrieval and encoding
What is shallow-processing?
- focuses on physical features
ex. looking at flashcards not the content
What is deeper-processing?
- meaningful
- leads to better LTM + recall
- can make connections w other stored content
Why is cramming bad?
you don’t have time to elaborate/form connections
What is the relationship between environment and memory?
recall is better when it occurs in contexts where the material was learned
> ex. physical context (room)
> emotional context (mood)
Describe the Godden & Baddeley (1975) experiment
- group 1: learn a list of words on land
- group 2: learn words underwater
- half from each group were tested on land, half-underwater
Why should we avoid encoding specificity?
- allows for deeper encoding
- avoid studying in one place
Why is grouping material in a meaningful way useful? [4 POINTS]
- deeper processing
- this is the LTM equivalent of chunking
- forming meaningful connections w other info
- helps retrieval
What are the 2 types of retrieval?
- recognition and recall
Why is recall more difficult than recognition?
because you need better memories for recall
Describe Rodiger’s study
- group 1: study, study
- group 2: study, test
> the groups were then tested after 3 delays: 5 mins, 2 days, 1 week
What were the results from Rodiger’s study?
- groups were initially similar after 5 mins
- the group that was tested retained»_space;> than the group that only studied
What are the 4 mnemonic strategies?
- categorical clustering: organisation
- imagery: connecting unrelated words w images
- acronyms
- acrostics
