Memory Building and Retention Flashcards
Why do we need to have memory?
To retain useful skills (eg. language), knowledge (eg. ppl, places, culture), and expertise
To build a sense of self that endures: what do I believe, value, remember, and understand?
To go beyond conditioning in learning from personal and observed experiences
Memory
The persistence of learning over time thru the storage and retrieval of info and skills
Three behaviors show that it functions: recall, recognition, and relearning
Recall
One of three behaviors that show that memory is functioning
Analogous to “fill in the blanks”
Recognition
One of three behaviors that show that memory is functioning
Form of “multiple choice”
Relearning
One of three behaviors that show that memory is functioning
Measure of how much less work it takes to relearn info regardless of having a recollection of seeing the info before
Information Processing Pathway (Simplified)
- Encoding: the info gets stored into our brains
- Storage: the info is retained in a way that allows it to later be retrieved
- Retrieval: the info is reactivated / recalled, produced in a form similar to how it was when it was encoded
Memory Formation Pathway (Atkinson-Shiffrin Model)
- Stimuli are recorded by our sense and held briefly in sensory memory
- Certain details of this info is processed into short-term memory and encoded via rehearsal
- Info then moves into long-term memory where it can be retrieved later
Working Memory / Short-term Memory
Short-term memory system that actively holds multiple pieces of transitory info to rehearse and process them; can integrate new info into pre-existing long-term memory
Mechanisms include rehearsal, focus, analysis, linking, and other processing methods
Auditory Rehearsal
Mechanism of working memory
Rehearsing / processing info aurally in order to process it into long-term memory
eg. repeating a password to memorize it
Visospatial Sketchpadding
Mechanism of working memory
Rehearsing / processing info visually / spatially in order to process it into long-term memory
eg. rearranging furniture in your mind
eg. doing a math problem in your head
Explicit / Declarative Memories
Facts / experiences that we can consciously know and recall
Acquired thru effortful processing / Atkinson-Shiffrin Model
Effortful Processing
Studying, rehearsing, thinking, processing, and then storing info into long-term memory
Includes all of the working memory methods / Atkinson-Shiffrin Model
Implicit Memories
Memories that we do not consciously know and thus cannot “declare” or talk about
Acquired through automatic processing
Include skills, procedures, conditioned association
Eg. muscle memory, riding a bike
Automatic Processing
Processing of a fact / experience into our implicit memory w/out the use of effortful processing / working memory
Mechanisms include: procedural memory, conditioned associations, spatial information, temporal information, and frequency information
Procedural Memory
Mechanism of automatic processing
Memory for performance of particular types of actions, often those that involve both cognitive and motor skills
eg. riding a bike, word meanings, tying a shoe
Conditioned Associations
Mechanism of automatic processing
Conditioning of the mind to retrieve a specific memory associated with a stimulus
eg. smell that triggers a specific place
Spatial Information in Automatic Processing
Aspect of automatic processing
Information about the general layout of a certain space is recorded into implicit memory
eg. ability to walk to bathroom during the night
Temporal Information in Automatic Processing
Aspect of automatic processing
Information about general time lapses are recorded into implicit memory
eg. ability to recall generally how much time has passed since event X
Frequency Information in Automatic Processing
Aspect of automatic processing
Information about the frequency of a specific event is recorded into our implicit memory
eg. ability to know generally how many swipes has been spent in one day
Sensory Memory
First phase of encoding and processing
The immediate, brief recording of sensory information before it is processed into short-term / long-term memory
Analogous to an echo / image of all the sensation we take in
Auditory Sensory Memory
Type of sensory memory
Ability to recall generally the last 8 words of the last sentence we were not consciously paying attention to
Visual Sensory (Iconic) Memory
Type of sensory memory
Result of George Sperling’s Experiments
Ppl were exposed to a grid of letter for 0.05sec followed by a signal that told them which letter to pull from iconic memory
Capacity of Short-Term / Working Memory
Ppl can generally hold about 7 digits, 6 letters, 5 words
Duration of Short-Term Memory
Tested by Lloyd and Margaret Peterson
Ppl were given triplets of consonants and then given a distracting task to prevent rehearsing
After about 12sec, <10% of ppl could recall the consonants
