Memory Retrieval Flashcards
How much time does it take to relearn / regain mastery of material?
Hermann Ebbinghaus studied memorization of nonsense syllables so that processing / prelearning could not be a factor
The more times he rehearsed out loud on day1, the less time he needed to relearn / memorize the same letters on day2; therefore, as rehearsal increases, relearning time decreases
How is memory stored in the brain?
Memory is stored as a web of associations including conceptual, contextual, and emotional categories
Priming
An implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus influences a response to another stimulus
A system of stringing together various ideas / concepts such that a flow of thought is established
Context-Dependent Memory
We retrieve a memory more easily when in the same context as when we formed the memory; this is b/c context is a part of a memory’s web of associations
eg. words learned underwater are better retrieved underwater.
State-Dependent Memory
Memories can also be tied to the emotional / psychological state we were in when we formed the memory.
Mood-congruent memory: tendency to selectively recall details that are consistent w/ one’s current mood; this then reinforces our current mood
Serial Position Effect
Tendency, when learning info in a long list, to more likely recall the first items (primary effect) and the last items (recency effect)
Why is forgetting not exactly a bad thing?
If we remembered everything, we may not be able to assign value to each memory
We may have difficulty thinking abstractly / stringing different thoughts / concepts together
We may not be able to focus well on current stimuli due to intrusive memories
What are some factors that lead to forgetting?
- Brain damage
- Encoding failure
- Storage decay
- Retrieval failure
- Interference
- Motivated forgetting
Hyperthymesia
The ability to recall everything and the inability to forget anything
eg. Jill Price, patient “A.J.”
Retrograde Amnesia
Inability to retrieve memories of the past; often temporary
Can be caused by head injury, emotional trauma, or severe brain damage
Anterograde Amnesia
Inability to form new long-term declarative / explicit memories; implicit memories (automatic processing, procedural memories, conditioned responses) could still be learned; working memory was unaffected
Can be caused by head injury / severe brain damage (spec. to the hippocampus)
eg. Henry Molaison, “H.M.”
Mirror Tracing
Method of testing procedural memory
Tracing btwn two lines of an image while looking at the reflection of that image; requires skill / relearning
Penny Memory Test
Method of testing encoding failures
Simply tests whether one has been paying specific attention to details of a penny his whole life
Ppl often get the penny image wrong b/c they didn’t bother rehearsing / encoding the image into long-term memory
Storage Decay: Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve
Material encoded into long-term memory will decay if the memory is never used, recalled, and then re-stored.
Unused connections / networks tend to wither while well-used ones are maintained; decay tends to level off
Nonsense syllables / foreign languages decay rapidly
Tip of the Tongue: Retrieval Failure
Occurs when the memory itself does not decay; only the associations / links to the memory decay
Consequently, some memories seem just below the surface
