week 7 - everyday memory

Question 1

definition of memory

Answer 1

memory allows learning, transcending the present, storing, retaining, (active) reconstruction, and planning for the future
the ability to recall or recognise previous experience
memory trace: a mental representation of a previous experience (eg hippocampus and taxi drivers)

Question 2

autobiographical memory
definition

Answer 2

memory for the events of one’s own life (long term)

Question 3

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
similarities

Answer 3

both relate to personally experienced events
both susceptible to proactive and retroactive interference and unusual or distinctive events are especially well remebered

Question 4

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
differences
events

Answer 4

autobiographical
- relates to events of personal significance

episodic
- more trivial events

Question 5

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
differences
which is more organised?

Answer 5

autobiographical often more thought about and tend to be more organised (because hey relate to self

Question 6

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
differences
which is more complex?

Answer 6

neuroimaging suggests autobiographical more complex and involved more brain regions

Question 7

episodic memory retrival
where?

Answer 7

involved in medial temporal regions (incl. hippocampus)
mentalising involved the dorsal medial regions

Question 8

autobiographical memory
where?

Answer 8

overlapped with regions associated with episodic and mentalising (involved in both)

Question 9

everyday memory is related to and involved….

Answer 9

what is called episodic memory and semantic memory in traditional memory research

Question 10

everyday memory
How? ecological validity

Answer 10

representative: naturalness of experiments
generlisable applicable to ones own life
where? naturalistic setting

Question 11

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
differences
role of motivation

Answer 11

we are much more interested in our own personal history

Question 12

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
differences
some aspects of autobiographiical involve semantic
research on amnesic patients

Answer 12

they have little or no episodic memory but recall muchh info about themselves

Question 13

autobiographical memory and episodic memory
differences
some aspects of autobiographiical involve semantic
neuroimaging research

Answer 13

episodic autobiographical; occipital lobe and lateral parietal cortex
semantic autobiographical; middle and inferior frontal cortex
other brain regions activated by both forms of autobiographical memory (lateral temporal cortex; the hippocampus)

Question 14

3 main functions of autobiographical memory

Answer 14

1) social function: bonding with others (shared news)
2) directive function: using past as a guide for future
3) self function: creating a sense of self continuity over time

Question 15

3 main functions of autobiographical memory
support?

Answer 15

vranic 2018
obtained support for all 3 functions in a questionnaire based approach

Question 16

3 main functions of autobiographical memory
additional function?

Answer 16

demiray and janssen 2013 identified an additional function
self enhancement

Question 17

flashbulb memories
what

Answer 17

vivid and detailed personal memories of dramatic events

Question 18

flashbulb memories
what is typically included

Answer 18

brown and kulik 1977 argued:
informant
place news was heard
ongoing event
individuals own emotional state
emotional state of others
consequences of the event for the individual

Question 19

flashbulb memories
is intense emotional experience needed?

Answer 19

sharot 2007
compared the memories to individuals close to the world trade centre and those further away
closer to the event –> memories more vivid and detailed and involved activation of the amygdala
- suggesting intense emotional experience needed for flashbulb memory

Question 20

schematic processing principle
schema
what?

Answer 20

integrated knowledge structure for things
captured commonly encountered aspects of life

Question 21

schematic processing principle
schema
what does it allow

Answer 21

allows us to form expectations
helps us draw inferences
- go beyond the explicit information provided based on knowledge of the world

Question 22

schematic processing principle
memory =

Answer 22

interaction between event and our own pre-existing schemata (general knowledge, belief, expectations)

Question 23

schematic processing principle
schemas
what do they determine

Answer 23

determine how we process story information
determine what we remember from stories

Question 24

schematic processing principle
schema
can they change?

Answer 24

can change and be updated overtime

Question 25

schematic processing principle
remembering =

Answer 25

reproduction / reconstruction of an event

Question 26

schematic processing principle
remembering
schema based interferences

Answer 26

schemas are packets of knowledge which can distort out memory
produce a coherent (but not necessarily accurate) story
rationalisations: making it in line with our own (cultural) expectations

reconstructing an event based on ‘what must have been true’
also for eyewitnesses

Question 27

schematic processing principle
memory =

Answer 27

combination of memory traces and general world knowledge

Question 28

childhood amnesia

Answer 28

almost total lack of autobiographical from 1st 3 years of life

Question 29

childhood amnesia
explainations:

Answer 29

1) freud: repression
- repression of sexual feelings towards parents

2) neurological
- eg. hippocampus and frontal lobes still developing

3) underdeveloped schemas / semantic memory

4) language development

5) emergent cognitive self
- 1st need to establish concept of self
- unique and identifiable entity
- self recognition around 18 months

6) multicomponent

Question 30

childhood amnesia
cross cultural differences

Answer 30

average age of 1st memory
3.8 for US
5.4 for chinese
and more emotional memories for US
related to how mothers talk to children and more focused on the past and more individual emphasis in the US

Question 31

reminiscence bump
what

Answer 31

lots of memories from age 15-25

Question 32

reminiscence bump
why?
neurological view

Answer 32

brain “peak” –> neither maturing or declining

Question 33

reminiscence bump
why?
identity information view

Answer 33

time of important decisions (shape future)
life script/life narritive: coherent, intergrated account of who we are and why we came to be like this
sense of adult identity

Question 34

reminiscence bump
why?
cognitive view

Answer 34

primary effect: better memory for 1st time events, less proactive interference
should also be apparent at other times when there is a great deal of change and experience

Question 35

reminiscence bump
why?
cognitive view
immigrant study

Answer 35

reminiscence bump for those who emigrated at age 34-35 is shifted towards older ages
compared to the bump of those who emigrated between ages 20-24

Question 36

accuracy of autobiographical memory?

Answer 36

truthful to the gist of experiences
tendency to place ourselves centre stage
tendency for favourable view of present self

Question 37

accuracy of autobiographical memory?
tendency to create a coherent memory

Answer 37

conway 1990: questioned students before and after exams on expected grades, validity of tests, how well prepared, how important marks were
–> if better than expected: hours studies the same, more likely to to say mark was more important
—> if worse than expected: claimed to have done less work, and that grades where not as important and tests less valid

Question 38

flashbulb memories
more accurate?

Answer 38

most research does not show higher accuracy or consistency for FM
same rate of forgetting
talarico and rubin (2003) study compared memory of 9/11 to recent everyday event
- no differences; no. of consistent details went down overtime
- but believed more strongly that the FM was accurate and said more often that it felt as if reliving the experience

Question 39

flashbulb memories
why do they feel special>

Answer 39

because they are distinctive from other events

if remembered well probably rehearsed more often (topic of conversations)