Memory Flashcards
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval. (Part 1 of memory)
-Encoding
The information must be translated into a form so that it can be held in your brain.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-storage
The information is kept in your brain for a period of time - possibly even a lifetime.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-retrieval
The process of being able to access information that has been stored in your brain and being able to use it.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-visual encoding
Memories which are stored visually
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-acoustic encoding
Memories which are stored in terms of what they sound like.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-semantic encoding
Memories which are stored according to their meaning
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-tactile encoding
Memories of what things feel like
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-olfactory encoding
Memories of what things smell like
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
Long term memory
Has a very large capacity and a very long duration. Coding is mainly semantic. This is our permanent memory. For example your address name.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-short term memory
Has limited capacity and limited duration. Information tends to be encoded in terms of sounds (acoustic). This is a temporary store - information may simply disappear or may be passed to long term memory if rehearsed repeatedly
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-recognition
For example , seeing someone and being able to identify who they are - which is different from trying to recall what someone looks like.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-cued recall
You try and remember a piece of information and someone gives you a clue or cue (‘it begins with a B’) and you can remember it.
Processes: encoding storage and retrieval (part 1 of memory)
-feee recall
Retrieval without cues
Processes: LTM (part 3 of memory)
-semantic
A long term store for our knowledge of the world. This includes facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean. These memories need to be recalled deliberately.
Processes: LTM (part 3 of memory)
-procedural
A long term memory store for our knowledge of how to do things. This includes our memories of learned skills. We usually recall these memories without making a conscious or deliberate effort
Processes: LTM (part 3 of memory)
-episodic
A long term memory store for personal events. It includes memories of when the events occurred and of the people, objects, places and behaviours involved. Memories from this store have to be retrieved consciously and with effort.
Processes: LTM (part 3 of memory)
-declarative memories
Episodic / semantic memories are grouped together as declarative memories because they require more conscious recall.
Processes: LTM (part 3 of memory)
-non-declarative memories
Procedural memory doesn’t require conscious recall and so is classified as non-declarative
Structures: Multi-store model
States that there are three memory stores and each has different encoding, capacity and duration. Information moves between these stores through either attention or rehearsal.
Structures: Sensory memory
Holds information from the senses for a short time and has a large capacity. Paying attention to information transfers it to the STM.
Structures: Role of rehearsal
Verbal repetition (rehearsal) keeps information in STM. If information is rehearsed for long enough it is transferred into LTM.
Structures: Primacy effect
Words at the beginning of a list are remembered more as they have been rehearsed and have become long-term memories.
Structures: recency effect
Words at the end of a list are remembered more as they have been heard recently so are in short-term memory.
Active process: The theory
The War of the Ghosts study demonstrated that memory is an active process. People remember overall meaning of events and, when retrieving information, they rebuild.
Memory is inaccurate
Active process: Reconstruction
We record small pieces of information in long-term memory.
During recall we recombine them to tell the whole story. Each time, the elements are combined slightly differently.
Active process: Social and cultural influences
The way that information is stored and recalled is affected by social and cultural expectations, like ‘going fishing’ rather than ‘hunting seals’.
Active process: Effort after meaning
We focus on the meaning of events and make an effort to understand the meaning to make sense of the parts of the story.
Accuracy of memory: Interference
If two memories compete with each other, one memory may prevent us from accessing the other memory.
Accuracy of memory: Context
Other things that are present at the time of learning act as a cue for recall. This improves the accuracy of memory.
Accuracy of memory: False memory
A memory for something that did not happen but a person thinks it is a true memory.
