memory and forgetting

Question 1

what did Atkinson & Shiffrin propose

Answer 1

they proposed an information processing theory to explain the way people deal with information. There are 3 seperate memory stores for information;

1) sensory memory
2) short term memory
3) long term memory

Question 2

how do memories form? (encoding, storage, retrieval)

Answer 2

Basic memory processes- encoding, storage, retrieval

Encoding converts the information coming into sensory memory into a form suitable for storage in STM and then LTM.

If attention is paid to this information, it will go into storage.

Storage is the process of retaining information in STM or LTM until it is needed.

Retrieval is the process of recovering information from storage in STM or LTM.

• recognition
• recall

Question 3

what are the three types of sensory memory

Answer 3

1. echoic
2. iconic
3. Haptic

Question 4

what does echoic refer to

Answer 4

sound (Less than 2 seconds long)

Question 5

what does iconic refer to

Answer 5

visual (Less than 0.3 seconds)

Question 6

what does haptic refer to

Answer 6

touch (About 2 seconds long)

Question 7

what does superior autobiographical memory mean

Answer 7

occurs for some people who can remember events from their whole lives in an extreme way.

Question 8

what are the two different types of encoding?

Answer 8

automatic encoding and effortful encoding.

Question 9

what is automatic encoding?

Answer 9

unconscious processing that happens automatically.

e.g) I remember when I had breakfast this morning.

Question 10

what is effortful encoding?

Answer 10

active processing which requires effort.

eg) studying for a test.

Question 11

what does recognition refer to?

Answer 11

Recognition involves correctly identifying previously learned information from a list of possible alternatives.

e.g) multiple choice questions.

Question 12

what does recall refer to?

Answer 12

Recall requires remembering information with very few cues at all.

e.g) extended response questions.

Question 13

what is the capacity and duration of sensory memory?

Answer 13

very high capacity

low duration (2-3 seconds)

Question 14

what is the capacity and duration of short term or working memory?

Answer 14

smaller capacity (5-9 items- 7+-)

Longer duration (30 seconds without rehearsal)

Question 15

what is the capacity and duration of long term memory?

Answer 15

limitless capacity

nearly permanent duration

Question 16

what is George Millers magic number theory?

Answer 16

George Miller (1956) created the magic number. The capacity is 7+-2 (5-9). New information can replace old if there is too much to remember.

Question 17

what is the difference between anterograde and retrograde amnesia?

Answer 17

Anterograde amnesia- cannot make new memories since the trigger event

Retrograde amnesia- can’t remember events in the past.

Question 18

what is one possible cause of organic amnesia?

Answer 18

a stroke- stopping blood from flowing to the brain.

Question 19

how does sensory, short term and long term memory link according to the information processing model of memory.

Answer 19

information enters sensory memory. If ATTENTION is paid to it, it is ENCODED and converted into a form that can be stored in short term memory. While maintenance rehearsal ensures continued storage in STM, elaborative rehearsal will allow the information to move to long term memory to be stored. RETRIEVAL from Long term memory to Short term memory occurs through RECOGNITION where cues are given or RECALL without cues.

Question 20

what does maintenance rehearsal refer to

Answer 20

Maintenance rehearsal- repeating information in a rote way but not changing it.

Question 21

what does elaborative rehearsal refer to

Answer 21

Elaborative rehearsal- combining old and new information together to help storage and retrieval into long term memory; it requires more effort and extra meaning is added to the information.

Question 22

what is clustering?

Answer 22

Clustering: organising items into related groups during recall eg. animals such as monkey giraffe tiger

Question 23

what is association?

Answer 23

Association: Some items are logically connected.

Question 24

what are semantic networks

Answer 24

Semantic networks are made up from nodes that represent concepts.

These nodes are joined by pathways that link to associated concepts.

makes information systematic and meaningful.

Question 25

what is the serial position effect?

Answer 25

• The serial position effect describes how our memory is affected by the position of information in a sequence.
• Items at the beginning of the list are remembered best (primacy effect), followed by items at the end of the list (recency effect).
• Items in the middle of the list are least able to be recalled.

Question 26

what is procedural memory

Answer 26

how to perform different actions and skills.

eg) how to ride a bike

Question 27

what is declarative:semantic

Answer 27

Semantic memory involves the recall of ideas, concepts, and facts commonly regarded as general knowledge.

Question 28

what is declarative:episodic

Answer 28

personal events

eg) my 17th birthday last week

Question 29

what is the difference between short term memory and ‘working memory’

Answer 29

they both hold information for a short amount of time, but short term memory stores information for a short while, while working memory retains the information in order to manipulate it.

Question 30

what are the 2 main parts of long term memory

Answer 30

declarative and procedural

Question 31

what is the difference between semantic and episodic long term memory?

Answer 31

semantic memory- general facts
eg) knowing where 911 happened.

episodic memory- personal fats based around events
eg) my birthday last week.

Question 32

describe two mnemonic devices

Answer 32

1) rhymes- sound the same

2) acronyms- help you remember the first letters of items in a list.

Question 33

how is eyewitness testimony inaccurate?

Answer 33

Eyewitness memory is often thought to be perfect memory but memory is inaccurate as it is a snapshot, and is malleable (changeable).

Question 34

define forgetting

Answer 34

Forgetting is the inability to retrieve information that has been stored in memory.

Memory may be storing the information but for some biological or psychological reason, it can not be recalled.

Question 35

what are the most famous treatments for trauma?

Answer 35

Psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioural therapy

Question 36

what is Hermann Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve?

Answer 36

Hermann Ebbinghaus (1859-1909) identified how we forget. The forgetting curve shows that there is a large drop in facts retained in the first 24 hours, then a more gradual drop after that.

Ebbinghaus used himself as a subject. He found that he had to repeat his learning of information about 5 times until he no longer forgot it.

In summary: If you repeat something, the speed of remembering it is high.

Question 37

what are 2 factors that decrease the accuracy of eye witness testimony

Answer 37

lighting 
absence or presence of violence 
speed 
distance 
duration

Question 38

what are the 2 causes of forgetting

Answer 38

• biological (anterograde and retrograde amnesia)

- psychological (Context dependent cues, State dependent cues, Retroactive interference, Proactive interference)

Question 39

what is proactive interference + example

Answer 39

when old information interferes with the ability to remember new information.
eg) when trying to recall a new phone number, the old phone number you have previously had for a long time could proactively interfere with the recall, to the point when its very difficult to remember the new number.

Question 40

what is retroactive

Answer 40

when new information interferes with the ability to
recall information already in memory.
eg) calling your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend by your new
boyfriend/girlfriend’s name. The new name retroactively interferes with the old one.