Memory Flashcards
Define encoding.
Changing information so that it can be stored.
Define storage.
Holding information in the memory system (some of it for a lifetime).
Define retrieval.
Recovering information from storage to use it.
How does information enter our memory?
Information enters our memory through our five senses.
What do you need to do with information to encode it?
Information has to be changed into a code that the brain understands.
What are the three ways of encoding?
- Visual
- Acoustic
- Semantic
Visual encoding
Encoding information that we receive from what we see.
Acoustic encoding
Encoding information we receive from what we hear.
Semantic encoding
Encoding information that we receive from reading.
Primacy effect
Words at the start of the list were recalled well.
Recency effect
Words at the end of the list were recalled well.
Episodic memory
Memories of personal events in your life (for example: places you have visited and things you have done).
Procedural memory
Action based memories. These use a motor code, not a verbal code (for example: riding a bike).
Semantic memory
Remembering general knowledge and facts (for example: remembering the meanings of words).
What is effort after meaning?
Putting unfamiliar ideas into familiar terms based on our past knowledge and experiences.
What is the theory of reconstructive memory?
Bartlett believed that memory was not just a stored copy of facts. He said that we change our memories to fit in with what we already know, even though we think we are remembering exactly what happened.
What are the factors that affect the accuracy of memory?
- Context
- False memories
- Interference
Context
The general setting or environment in which activities happen.
False memories
Remembering something that has never happened.
Interference
The difficulty in recalling information when other memories get in the way
What have studies on context shown?
The recall of information is higher if learning and recall take place in the same context.
How is interference often tested?
By giving one group of participants a list of words to learn, followed by another list of words to learn. A second group of participants is only given the first list to learn. All participants are then asked to recall the first list of words. The recall of the first group is usually much lower than the recall of the second group. This is because the second list of words acts as interference.
What did research about false memories show?
In one study, participants were questioned about their childhood. The researcher used information from their parents to describe some true events, as well as a false event about being lost in a shopping center. About 25% of participants believed that they had actually been lost and could also give some detail about what had happened while they were ‘lost’.
What are standardized procedures?
A set order of carrying out a study that is applied to all participants when necessary.
Capacity
How much information can be stored.
Coding
The way that information is represented to be stored.
Duration
How long information can be stored for.
Long-term store
The memory store that holds a vast amount of information for a very long period of time.
Sensory store
A memory store that holds information received from the senses for a very short period of time.
Short-term store
Memory store that holds approximately seven bits of information for a limited amount of time.
What is the theory of the multi-store model of memory?
The theory of memory that suggests that information passes through a series of memory stores.
What is one strength of the MSM?
There is evidence for the existence of different memory stores. For example Baddeley, found that we tend to mix up words that sound similar when we are using our STMs. However we mix up words that have similar meaning when we use our LTMSs. This shows that the coding in the STM and the LTM is different.
What is one weakness of the MSM?
The model is too simple. The model suggests that we have just one STM and one LTM. However, research has shown that these stores have separate parts (visual and acoustic/episodic, semantic & procedural).
Interference evaluation
:) the procedure is standardized-> higher reliability
——————-
:( the procedure is artificial as irl it is rare that someone would have to learn and recall random lists of words meaning that the results of the studies do not reflect the way we use memory-> lower ecological validity.
Context evaluation
:) the results have real life applications. we know that students will perform better in classrooms that they learned the information in
——————-
:( lists of words isn’t the way we use memory irl-> low ecological validity
False memories evaluation
:) The test is believable and realistic so the results are more reflective or normal behavior-> higher ecological validity
——————
:( The study could cause ethical issues (mental harm) if the experiment brings up sensitive topics
