Memory - About the System Flashcards
What is the main model psychologists use when describing memory?
The Atkinson-Shiffrin model
What are the main components of the Atkinson-Shiffrin model?
Input - sensory regulation - attention - short term memory - rehearsal - recall/retrieval - output
Name some key features of short-term (working) memory
Any of…
- Requires active attention
- Is items in consciousness
- holds information being actively processed
- can only hold items with rehearsal
How many items can short-term memory hold at one time?
5-9 (max)
Name some key features of long-term memory
Any of…
- Requires rehearsal, repetition, and organization (encoding)
- No known capacity limit
- Can hold information from minutes - years
What are the three main parts of long-term memory?
Episodic
Semantic
Procedural
What is episodic memory?
Personal experiences stored as images (flashbulb for major events/traumas)
What is semantic memory?
Fact-based, generalized information organized into schema a la Piaget
What is procedural memory?
‘Knowing how’ - ability to recall how to do something, especially physical tasks (like riding a bike!)
What are two alternative models for memory?
Levels of Processing Theory
Dual-code theory
How do we forget things?
- Disuse
- Repression
- Interference
- Individual differences (i.e. neurodivergence)
What is retroactive inhibition?
New memories interfere with trying to remember old memories
What is proactive inhibition?
Old information interferes with new material
What are false memories?
Fabricated/distorted recollections of events
Memory facilitation is defined as…
Old material scaffolding into new material in a helpful way
