Memory - Exam 2

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

retention of info or experience over time as the result of encoding, storage, and retrieval

Question 2

encoding

Answer 2

converting info to memory
in order to encode something we must pay attention to it

Question 3

what things affect encoding?

Answer 3

selective attention?
sustained attention
divided attention

Question 4

selective attention

Answer 4

focusing on specific aspect of our environment while ignoring others

Question 5

sustained attention

Answer 5

focused, best condition for encoding

Question 6

divided attention

Answer 6

multitasking, constantly shifting your attention
not good for encoding

Question 7

self reference

Answer 7

makes something meaningful to you
very beneficial for encoding

Question 8

memory storage

Answer 8

memories need to be stored successfully after encoding/how info is retained overtime
we consciously and unconsciously remember so many bits of information

Question 9

short term memory

Answer 9

“working” memory store
allows us to actively work to reach goals
holds a number of ties in mind while ALSO engaging in some effort to monitor/manipulate those items

Question 10

what is our working memory capacity?

Answer 10

number example in class
7 +/- “bits” of info remembered for about 30 seconds of information

Question 11

what is required to maintain working memory capacity?

Answer 11

attention and effort

Question 12

how can we increase short term memory?

Answer 12

rehearsal and chunking

Question 13

chunking

Answer 13

take info and break it into smaller pieces, makes remembering large amounts of information more manageable
ex: remember phone numbers by grouping (3-3-4)

Question 14

long term memory

Answer 14

memory with very large capacity and the capability to store info relatively permanent

Question 15

types of LTM

Answer 15

semantic, procedural, episodic

Question 16

semantic

Answer 16

general knowledge and facts
includes tip of the tongue phenomenon

Question 17

tip of the tongue phenomenon

Answer 17

know the answer is there but can’t retrieve it

Question 18

procedural

Answer 18

memory of making responses and performing skilled actions
ex: walking (child), typing, playing piano

Question 19

episodic

Answer 19

memory of your own experiences
included flashbulb memories

Question 20

flashbulb memories

Answer 20

detailed memories of situations that very arousing, surprising, or emotional
ex: people recalling 9/11, PTSD responses

Question 21

retrieval

Answer 21

don’t have a specific definition for this, assuming it’s involving recalling the information

Question 22

misinformation effect

Answer 22

our memories are NOT perfect
prone to error - memory is corrupted by misleading information
ex: eye witnesses do not always give good accounts as memory is not very accurate

Question 23

Loftus and implanting fake memories

Answer 23

studied and found that memories can be altered and manipulated
ex: showed people videos of car accidents and asked them about a yield sign (there was no yield sign) -> when asked to identify a photo or the accident subjects picked the picture with a yield sign

Question 24

eye witness testimonies

Answer 24

not reliable
historically people have been wrongfully convicted of serious crimes (ex: Gary Wells - ISU)

Question 25

real world implications of retrieval (how can memories change overtime?)

Answer 25

studied by Lacy and Stark (2014) memory distortion occurs over time memories change as the info is repeatedly retrieved and consolidated in different settings

Question 26

repressed memories

Answer 26

Loftus studied this (inspired by sudden rise in patients recalling early childhood abuse) - therapists doing memory work asking leading questions and using hypnosis Freud also studied - repressed memories protect a person's self concept and minimize anxiety *controversial

Question 27

are memories organized?

Answer 27

YES, they are not just randomly stored

Question 28

how does organization of memories benefit retrieval?

Answer 28

allows for faster recall (better encoded, stored, and organized -> better recall)

Question 29

mnemonics

Answer 29

memory aids ex: 5 Great Lakes (HOMES)

Question 30

factors that influence retrieval

Answer 30

serial position effect retrieval cues context dependent memory state dependent memory

Question 31

primacy effect

Answer 31

better recall for things that come first

Question 32

serial position effect

Answer 32

when participants are presented with a list of words they tend to remember the first and last few words and are more likely to forgot those in the middle of the list (primacy and regency effect - graph with curve)

Question 33

regency effect

Answer 33

better recall for things that come last

Question 34

retrieval cues

Answer 34

hints/any associations made when info was encoded ex: smells, tastes, sights, sounds

Question 35

what is a common cause of forgetting?

Answer 35

not having proper retrieval cues to pull a piece of info from LTM -> STM

Question 36

can retrieval be involuntary?

Answer 36

yes, cues from the environment are constantly pulling memories into our consciousness

Question 37

context dependent memory

Answer 37

improved recall when contextual cues relating to environment are the same during encoding and retrieval ex: Golden and Baddeley exp, scuba divers learned/tested underwater/on land, memory was best when cues present during learning also appeared at testing

Question 38

state dependent memory

Answer 38

improved recall when cues relating to emotional/physical states are the same during encoding and retrieval ex: Eich and Metcalfe exp, subjects learned a word list while happy/sad and were tested when happy/sad, memory was best when learning and testing moods matched

Question 39

forgetting

Answer 39

failure to reliably retrieve info that has been successfully encoded into LTM

Question 40

what are causes of forgetting?

Answer 40

encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, interference, motivated forgetting

Question 41

short term memory decay and curve of forgetting

Answer 41

**graph with curve down unless rehearsed verbal info may be quickly forgotten

Question 42

amnesia

Answer 42

loss of memories, often associated with some form of brain injury either retrograde or anterograde

Question 43

retrograde amnesia

Answer 43

inability to recall stored memories

Question 44

anterograde amnesia

Answer 44

inability to form new memories

Question 45

What did we learn from Henry Molaison (brain injury -> seizures -> removed hippocampus -> couldn't make new memories anymore)?

Answer 45

tested his procedural memory using mirror drawing, developed implicit memory but couldn't remember doing the task suggests existence of different memory stores