Week 3 chapter 6. Acquisition of Memory & Working Memory System Flashcards
rehearsal
repetition. Without deep Processing though, will not confer Long term memory
memory connections
links between pieces of information. Form during learning. Can activate during retrieval to aid remembering.
reactivate
stored information is re-visited
storage phase
memory held but not in active use
retrieval
memory retrieved and brought into active use.
The Modal Model
retrieval
«–—
Incoming info►sensory►short-term►Long term
memory memory memory
l I
v vlost
maintenance
via rehearsal
Sensory memory
Part of Brief memory in Modal Model. Consisting of raw sensory data.
Iconic Memory for visual data. and
Echoic Memory for auditory data.
Updated version of memory
Short Term Memory now = Working memory (reflects thought is more of a process than place).
short term vs long term memory
Working Memory:limited size, getting info in is easy, getting access to info is easy, contents are fragile.
Long Term Memory: enormous size, getting info in not easy, getting access to info sometimes hard, contents are less fragile.
Recency effect
Data being worked on is available for recall. Unless something displaces the data (new info coming in), it is readily available. ie Can usually recall the last few words in a word list.
Distraction Tasks will serve as new info coming in however, and will disable remembering last few words of eg word list.
Primacy effect
When given list of words to recall, can devote more attention to rehearsing for first few words, therefore might consolidate these into Long Term Memory, therefore likely to later be able to recall.
Primacy, if consolidated (ie in Long Term Memory) is not affected by Distraction Tasks
Long Term Memory Location
Long Term Memory seems to be located in Hippocampus,
and Working Memory in Perirhinal Cortex (shown in fMRIscans).
Digit Span
Method of measuring Working Memory capacity. Eg. How many items can one see/hear and recite back? Usually, is 7 +/- 2 chunks.
A CHUNK= 1 piece of info, which may be a number, a letter, a word, a sentence etc. If can form larger chunks, can in total recall more, but are still 7 +/- 2 chunks.
Operation Span
It has been shown that quite a large area of the brain may be involved in Working Memory, dependent upon tasks involved.
Operation Span = the capacity to juggle various different tasks in Working Memory. Test how much Operational Span on has etc by eg flipping between maths problems, recall words etc etc.
People with greater Operational Span (greater Working Memory) seem to have greater ability in reasoning, comprehension, multi-tasking, etc.
Reading span
way of measuring Operational Span, using reading tasks.
Executive Control Processes
Also known as (Central Executive). Descriptor of the processes within the Working Memory which control the management of data.
Articulatory rehearsal Loop
Non executive “sub part” of Working Memory.Can rehearse certain data without requiring much higher order executive.
Subvocalisation
The “inner voice” used within the Articulatory Rehearsal Loop. It is an internal repeat, in auditory form, so has some errors in ‘sound alike’ form (even though initial stimulation may have been read or heard correctly).
The theoretical storage space for this inner voice, is the Phonological Buffer.
Concurrent Articulation task
eg. if doing task of span test and asked to articulate repetitively a sound, this has shown to reduce working memory capacity (from approx 7 chunks to 5 chunks etc). this is because the articulation competes with resources for the subvocalisation. However, the blockage of subvocalisation also means that sound-alike errors are reduced. (For the congenitally deaf, the equivalent of the articulation task is to wiggle fingers.)
Episodic Buffer
Proposed component of working memory, which aids in holding a short time-line narrative in working memory. (An amnesiac can still follow the narrative within a short story).
2 Types of rehearsal
a) Maintenance Rehearsal; basic focus on items in working memory. (Rehearsal may be as simple as the most elemental thought). Unlikely to be consolidated into long term memory. (Even things seen daily, if not pad attention to, are often forgotten-eg where are the fire extenguishers??? etc)
b) Relational (elaborative) Rehearsal:thinking about items and their relationships to other items. Much more likely to get into long term memory. Greater brain activity is required in order to shift data into long term memory.
Intentional Learning
Learning which is deliberate Does not necessarily mean is effective!
Incidental learning
Learning which occurs without intention.
Shallow processing
Material was engaged with in only most superficial way. eg is a word red or blue?
Moderate processing
Bit more engaged with data, eg do these words rhyme?
Deep Processing
Requires even more thought eg meaning of words. This is proven to lead to better memory retention.
Gender Differences in Memory
No overall difference but some studies have shown women favour Verbal Memory, and men Spatial Memory. Women possibly better at remembering clothes, and men people’s body shape, But this may have been culturally influenced.
memory Connections
Such connections or associations between memories, allow one memory to trigger another and so on. Thus forming connections by thinking about Meaning, Context, Relevance, Consequences etc are most helpful in retaining knowledge.
Elaborate Encoding
With greater complexity of ideas around a concept/word etc, the more the connections►deeper processing►better recall
Deep AND Elaborate processing is superior to deep only.
Retrieval path
A pathway which can aid remembrance.
Mnemonics
Named after Greek Goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne. Provide an organisation on which to place material to be learnt.
eg. Linking 1st letters such as ROYGBIV= Red Orange, Yellow, Green,Blue Indigo, Violet=colours of rainbow.
eg. mental images such as link ‘eagle’ and ‘train’ ie imagine eagle carrying train in its beak. (Only works if oblects are interacting somehow)
eg external skeleton such as the peg word system ie ‘one is a bun….. (to remember 1st item, link it to image of a bun etc)
Mnemonics are extremely useful in providing links to recall superficial level of connections But is Not as advantageous as deep consideration of all aspects of how such knowledge is connected to other pieces.
A study showed that of all the mnemonic systems, the peg word system and interactive imagery, are the most effective.
Understanding
Many studies have shown that if understand and comprehend content, more likely to retain knowledge. Also, if have much prior knowledge with which to make connections, is easier to learn.
How to study
- Understanding is better than memorisation.
- studying with someone else and taking turns to explain concepts allows different perspectives and improves understanding.
- Spaced learning is better than crammed, and also is best to do a chunk of one subject, chunk of another, then return later etc. This is because whenever return to the subject matter, (as opposed to merely repetitively re-reading), bring a slightly different perspective to it. Spaced learning also means that there is some forgetting in-between, and therefore must re-learn, which is actually helpful.
- Derirable difficulty enhances learning as is hard, but having worked through it, the connections and deep processing are there for memory retrieval.
- Mnemonics are useful but best employed After acquiring subject understanding, just to aid recall of specidfic detail.
