Memory (Chapter 7) Flashcards
Semantic memory
General information
Episodic memory
Personal events
Visual sensory memory
- People perceive the after image rather than the actual image
- Lasts 1/4 of a second
- Iconic memory
Auditory sensory memory
- 2 seconds
- Echoic memory
- Needs longer than iconic
Declarative (explicit) memory
Information for facts and dates
Procedural (implicit) memory (non declarative)
Actions or skills (e.g., riding a bike)
Recall
Reproduce information without any cues
Recognition
Select previously learned information from an array of options
Relearning
How long it takes to relearn and how much time or practice is saved
Retroactive interference
New information impairs retention of previously learned material
Proactive interference
Previously learned material impairs retention of new information
Transcience
The weakening of memory overtime
Absentmindedness
Memory failure that is often due to a failure to pay attention because we are preoccupied
Blocking
Temporary fail to retrieve an item of information (e.g., someones name when you meet someone)
Misattribution
Assign a memory to the wrong source
Suggestibility
Memory is distorted (misleading question)
Bias
Inaccuracy due to the effect of our current knowledge on our reconstruction of the past
Persistence
Unwanted memories or recollections that you cannot forget
Implicit memory
Unintentional remembering
Explicit memory
Involves intentional recollection of previous experiences
Prospective memory
Involves remembering to perform actions in the future
Retrospective memory
Involves remembering events from the past or previously learned information
Structural code
Emphasized the physical structure of the stimulus
- E.g., was the words in CAPITALS?
- Shallow processing
Phonemic code
Emphasizes sound of a word
- E.g., does the word rhyme with cat?
- Moderate processing
Semantic code
Emphasizes the meaning of a word
- Involves thinking about the object and actions the
words represent
- Deep processing
- Better recall laterWhat can semantic coding be enhanced through
Elaboration; linking a stimulus to other information at the same time of encoding
- E.g., complex (better); the small lady angrily picked up the red _____
Paivio’s dual-coding theory
Memory is enhanced by forming semantic and visual codes since either can lead to recall
Modal model of memory
Incoming information passes through 2 temporary storage buffers- the sensory store and short term store- before it is transferred into a long term store
Short-term memory
Limited capacity store that can maintain unrehearsed information for up to 20 seconds
Working memory
- A limited capacity storage system that temporarily maintains and stores information by providing an interface between perception, memory and action
- E.g., holding a persons address in mind while listening how to get there
4 components of working memory
- Phonological loop
- Visuospatial sketchpad
- Central executive system
- Episodic buffer
Phonological loop: temporarily remember a phone number
Visuospatial sketchpad: temporarily hold and manipulate visual images
Central executive system: controls the deployment of attention, switching the focus of attention and dividing attention as needed
Episodic buffer: temporarily limited capacity story that allows the various components of working memory to integrate information and that serve as an interface between working memory and long-term memory
Long-term memory
Is an unlimited capacity store that can hold information over lengthy periods of time
- Permanent store?
Flashbulb memories
Unusually vivid and detailed recollections of momentous events
- Not accurate
Serial position effect
- Primacy effect - Recency effect
Primacy effect: words said first are recalled better
- Have had enough time to be transferred to LTM
Recency effect: later presented stimuli are better recalled
- Still in STM
Clustering
Tendency to remember similar or related items in groups
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
The temporary inability to remember something you know, accompanied by a feeling that its just out of reach
Reconstructive nature of memory
Shorten story
Change details
Add new information
Reconstructive errors
Fill in the gaps; during recall
Constructive errors
Change to things we already know; during encoding
Ebbinghaus forgetting curve
Forgetting occurs rapidly after learning something
Pseudoforgetting
Can’t forget something you never learned
- Usually due to lack of attention
Decay theory
Forgetting occurs because memories fade with time
Interference theory
People forget information because of competition from other material
Hippocampus
Encoding/retrieval of LTM
Memory consolidation
- Gradual conversion of information into durable memory codes stored in LTM
Cerebral Cortex
Memory consolidation
- Gradual conversion of information into durable memory codes stored in LTM
Thalamus
Amnesia
- Retrograde: Loss of memories for events that occurred prior to the onset of amnesia
- Anterograde: Loss of memories for events that occur after the onset of amnesia
Anterograde amnesia
Loss of memories for events that occur after the onset of amnesia
Retrograde amnesia
Loss of memories for events that occurred prior to the onset of amnesia
Amygdala
Encoding emotion
Cerebellum
Procedural memory (e.g., riding a bike)
