Unit 3: Neurobiology & Immunology - Key Area 3: Memory

Question 1

What does memory involve?

Answer 1

Memory involves encoding storage and retrieval of information.

Question 2

What must happen to sensory image first, to become part of the memory?

Answer 2

Encoded.

Question 3

What does encoded mean?

Answer 3

Transferring information from sensory memory into memory (STM or LTM)

Question 4

What is storage?

Answer 4

The retention of information over a long period of time, can be 30 seconds or a lifetime.

Question 5

What is retrieval?

Answer 5

The recovery of stored material, involves the recall of information from the short or long- term memory.

Question 6

What does all information entering the brain pass through first.

Answer 6

The sensory memory.

Question 7

Where does information in the brain go after being passed through the sensory memory?

Answer 7

The short-term memory/STM.

Question 8

Where does information in the brain go after entering the STM?

Answer 8

Information is then transferred to long-term memory/LTM or is discarded.

Question 9

What part of the memory is very short lived only lasting around 0.5 seconds?

Answer 9

The sensory memeory.

Question 10

What part of the memory can hold about 7 items of info for around 30 seconds?

Answer 10

Short-term memory.

Question 11

What part of the memory has an unlimited amount of information stored for up to a lifetime?

Answer 11

Long-term memory.

Question 12

Does the STM have a limited or unlimited capacity?

Answer 12

Limited

Question 13

How many items can the STM store at one time?

Answer 13

Around 7 items.

Question 14

How long is info store in the STM?

Answer 14

30 seconds.

Question 15

After 30 seconds what happens to info in the STM?

Answer 15

The information is either transferred to the LTM or is lost by displacement or decay.

Question 16

How can the capacity of the STM be improved?

Answer 16

By chunking, rehearsal and serial position effect.

Question 17

How does chunking increase the capacity of the STM?

Answer 17

By splitting info into smaller units (like a phone number) it is easier to remember info as smaller chunks.

Question 18

How does rehearsal improve the capacity of the STM?

Answer 18

By repeating a piece of information over and over, it extends the amount of time that it is stored in the STM.

Question 19

How does the serial position effect help to improve the capacity of the STM?

Answer 19

Items in the middle of a list are least well remembered compared to those at the beginning of the list as they have been rehearsed and often transferred to LTM. Items at the end of the list are remembered as they still remain in the STM.

Question 20

What is the working memory?

Answer 20

The limited extent to process data as well as store it in the STM.

Question 21

How is encoding of info into the LTM promoted?

Answer 21

By rehearsal, organisation and elaboration.

Question 22

What does rehearsal to aid transfer of info from STM to LTM mean?

Answer 22

Example- when studying take regular breaks rather than studying for long periods of time helps to facilitate the transfer of info from STM to LTM.

Question 23

What does organisation to aid transfer of info from STM to LTM mean?

Answer 23

If information is more organised into logical categories it is more easily transferred from the STM to the LTM.

Question 24

What does elaboration to aid transfer of info from STM to LTM mean?

Answer 24

By making info more interesting by elaborating and analysing it more makes it more meaningful, further aiding the encoding and transfer of info from STM to LTM.

Question 25

What do contextual clues do?

Answer 25

Contextual clues aid the retrieval of info by reminding us of the time and place when the info was initially encoded and transferred to the LTM.