PSYD13 Delkurs 1 - Memory Flashcards
Who’s Joe??
> :)
Amnesia?
A deficit in memory where memory for new, or old (or both) things may be partially or totally lost
Define memory
The processes that allow us to record, store and later retrieve experiences and information
Encoding?
Getting information into the system by translating it into a neural code that you brain processes
Storage?
Retaining information over time
Retrieval?
Processes that access stored information
Sensory memory?
Briefly holds incoming sensory information
Short-term memory?
Memory store that temporarily holds a limited amount of information, consist of 2 parts: storage and manipulation
What is Baddeley’s model
The desktop analogy that consists of the visuospatial sketch pad, phonological loop and the central executive
Visuospatial sketch pad?
“The Mind’s Eye” - our visual short-term memory that retains visual information over (short) time. Ex. when we had to remember what the Moose looked like
Phonological loop?
“The voice inside your head” consists of phonological store and articulatory rehearsal loop
Phonological store?
holds sound or speech-based information for 1-2 seconds
Articulatory rehearsal loop?
Our inner speech, need it to be able to retain auditory information
Central executive?
“The command center” with the function of “shifting the spotlight” - responsible for controlled processing in working memory, including but not limited to, directing attention, maintaining task goals, decision making, and memory retrieval.
Episodic buffer?
Provides a temporary storage space where information from LTM and from the phonological loop and/or visuospatial subsystems can be integrated, manipulated and made available for conscious awareness
Memory codes?
Mental representations of some type of information or stimulus
Chunking?
Combining individual items into larger units of meaning
Working memory?
same as STM - a limited-capacity system that temporarily stores and processes information
Long-term memory?
Consists of non-declarative (procedural, perceptual/priming and conditioning) and declarative memory (semantic and episodic
Procedural memory?
you train (proceed) and learn new skills like for example biking or playing the piano
Perceptual memory? i.e. priming
Exposure to stimuli makes you familiar with it. In other words identification like face-recognition. Another example being using priming for advertisement
Conditioning?
“automatic associative learning”, most classic case of conditioning being pavlovian reinforcement.
Semantic memory?
Our knowledge about the world, object knowledge, language, conceptual priming (the semantic meaning to words activate associated memories such as schemas, stereotypes, attitudes)
Episodic memory?
“Mental time travel”, context, time/place, our personal experiences, by accessing our episodic memory we can re-experience our experiences
Serial position effect?
The ability to recall an item is influenced by the item’s position in a series
What are the 3 categories of depth of processing and memory?
Structural (shallow), phonemic (deeper) and semantic (deepest) - ex. 1. Is the word in capital letters? 2. Does the word rhyme with course? 3. Does the word fit into the sentence?
What is the concept of levels of processing?
The concept states that the more deeply we process information, the better we will remember it. However, let’s not forget that if asked which words rhymed, the people how were asked about the rhyming will remember best
Dual coding theory?
Encoding information using both verbal and visual codes enhances memory because the odds improve that at least on of the codes will be available to later to support recall
Method of loci?
A memory aid that associates information with mental images of physical locations, ex. guy that memorised cards by placing them in a house
Mnemonic device?
A memory aid
Schema?
A mental framework, an organised pattern of thought about some aspect of the world, ex. acquiring expertise in a skill is done through schemas, like reading a sheet of music
Associative network?
A massive network of associated ideas and concepts
Neural network (connectionist) models?
Each memory is represented by a unique pattern of interconnected and simultaneously activated nodes
Explicit memory?
Conscious or intentional memory retrieval, as when you consciously recognise or recall something
Implicit memory?
When memory influences our behaviour without conscious awareness, ex. HM was able to form a procedural memory for performing the mirror-tracing task, although he had no conscious awareness of having learned it
Retrieval cue?
A stimulus whether internal or external, that activates information stored in LTM
Autobiographical memories?
Memory of the events of one’s life
Flashbulb memories?
Recollections that seems so vivid, so clear, that we can picture them as if they were snapshots of moments in time, ex. 9/11, everyone remembers what they were doing
Encoding specificity principle?
Memory is enhanced when conditions present during retrieval match those that were present during encoding,
Context-dependent memory?
It typically is easier to remember something in the same environment in which it was originally encoded, ex. scuba divers
State-dependent memory?
Our ability to retrieve information is greater when our internal state at the time of retrieval matches our original state during learning, ex. jogger who was raped while out jogging remembered it (arousal while jogging)
Mood-congruent recall?
We tend to recall information or events that are congruent with our current mood
Decay theory?
With time and disuse the long-term physical memory trace in the nervous system fades away
What is the interference theory?
We forget information because other items in LTM impair out ability to retrieve it
Proactive interference?
Occurs when material learned in the past interferes with recall of newer material, ex. learn spanish -> learn french -> spanish interfere w recall of french
Retroactive interference?
Occurs when newly acquired information interferes with the ability to recall information learned at an earlier time, ex. learn spanish -> learn french -> french interferes w recall of spanish
Tip-of-the-tounge (TOT) state?
We cannot recall something but feel that we are one the verge of remembering it
Which phenomenon contradicts the decay theory?
Reminiscence! The decay theory says that memory decays over time, however reminiscence contradicts this theory - ex. how do actors remember their lines from 2 years ago?
Repression?
A motivational process that protects us by blocking the conscious recall of anxiety-arousing memories
Why is the concept of repression controversial?
Why do we forget positive memories? Is forgetting negative and even traumatic events an encoding failure?
Prospective memory?
Remembering to perform an activity in the future, ex. cues like “remember to take the trash with you on your way out
Retrograde amnesia?
Memory loss for events that took place some time in life before the onset of amnesia, i.e. ouch hippocampus = forgets from before leisure
Anterograde amnesia?
Memory loss for events that occur after the initial onset of amnesia, i.e. cannot encode new memories after leisure
Dementia?
Impaired memory and other cognitive deficits that accompany brain degeneration and interfere with normal functioning
Alzeheimer’s disease (AD)
A progressive brain disorder that is the most common cause of dementia among adults over the age of 65
Infantile amnesia?
Memory loss for early experiences
Misinformation effect?
The distortion of a memory by misleading post-event information, ex. how fast were you driving when you (crashed vs bumped) into each other?
Source confusion?
Our tendency to recall something or recognise it as familiar but forget where we encountered it, ex. suggestive statements after a crime “the burglar had a gun”
How can culture influence our memory?
Americans and europeans are learnt to be more individualistic compared to the western world. In one experiment participants from different cultures were asked about their first memory - Chinese participants had more family events than American participants
Memory consolidation?
A gradual process by which the brain transfers information into the LTM
Long-term potentiation (LTP)?
Enduring increase in synaptic strength
Recency effect?
When you better remember information that was presented last in a material or event
Primacy effect?
When you better remember information that was presented first in a material or event
The weapon focus effect?
States that the concentration of a crime witness’s attention on a weapon, and the resultant reduction in ability to remember details of the crime
Change blindness?
Failure to detect changes in the visual environment.
Example: Experimenter switch in the middle of pedestrian giving directions
