Memory and memory systems Flashcards
Memory
The processes by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved for the purposes of remembering the past, informing current behavior, and planning the future.
Encoding
Converting the information acquired by your senses into patterns of activity within groups of neurons within the brain.
Storage:
The retention of information acquired by your senses.
Retrieval:
The recollection of information stored in memory.
“Tip of the tongue” phenomenon:
A type of retrieval failure accompanied by the strong feeling that temporarily forgotten information is on the verge of being recalled.
Sensory memory
The persisting representation of a sensory stimulus for a brief period after it is no longer physically present. There are three types : Iconic memories , Echoic memories and Haptic memories
Ionic memories
persisting representations of visual information after it has faded. It is stored for less than 500 milliseconds. it is interpreted in the visual cortex but also in cortical areas beyond their sensory areas.
Echoic memories
persisting representations of sounds after they have faded. These representations were found to persist for up to 10 seconds. it is processed in he auditory cortex but also beyond their sensory areas.
Haptic memories
representations for tactile information after it has faded. haptic memory is approximately 2 seconds .important for manipulating and recognizing objects by touch. somatosensory cortex for haptic memory but also beyond that part
Working memory:
A memory register of limited capacity for both the amount of information it can store and the time for which information is retained.
vulnerability to disruption. Items in working memory are easily forgotten if they cease being the focus of attention or if other processes interfere with the rehearsal of information.
multicomponent working memory model
fluid system because its components are activated only temporarily.
(1)a visuospatial sketch pad, in which visual images are stored; (2) a phonological loop, in which verbal information is rehearsed by subvocalization and visual images are converted into a phonological code; (3) an episodic buffer, which integrates information from the visuospatial sketch pad and the phonological loop with a sense of time, so that memories can be experienced as sequences of events;
Central executive :to focus attention, to divide attention, to permit switching from task to task, and to interface with long-term memory.
working memory and long term memory
a subset of the information stored in working memory may eventually be stored in long-term memory. Second, as mentioned earlier, information in working memory comes from focusing on incoming sensory information and/or information stored in long-term memory.
Delayed-response task:
A behavioral task that requires holding a stimulus in working memory, after it has disappeared from view, to later make a correct choice.
Oculomotor delayed-response task:
A delayed-response task in which the location of a stimulus on a screen has to be held in short-term memory to later perform a correct response, as demonstrated by moving the eyes toward the area in which the stimulus previously appeared.
the prefrontal cortex was important for maintaining information in working memory.
Experiments involved in the short term memory
The areas of the prefrontal cortex mostly associated with working memory are the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices
This task is divided into three phases. In the first phase (the cue phase), food is randomly placed in one of two food wells visible to the monkey. In the second phase (the delay phase), the food wells are covered, and a screen is lowered to obstruct the monkey’s view for a predetermined period. In the third phase (the response phase), the screen is raised, and the monkey reaches for the food. It is thought that to be able to reach for the food at the correct location, the monkey has to keep a representation of the location of the food in working memory during the delay.