Why We Remember Flashcards
What is the nature of memory according to the text?
Memory is selective and adaptive, not a perfect record.
Memory systems evolved to prioritize information relevant to survival and success.
What does the ‘forgetting curve’ refer to?
The phenomenon where much of what we experience is forgotten within hours or days due to interference from competing memories.
Documented by Hermann Ebbinghaus in the 19th century.
Which brain region is responsible for forming new episodic memories?
Hippocampus.
It links together elements of an experience stored across different brain regions.
What is the difference between episodic and semantic memory?
Episodic memory allows mental time travel to past experiences, while semantic memory involves knowledge used across different contexts.
Insight by psychologist Endel Tulving.
What are the components of episodic memory?
- What happened (people, objects, actions)
- Where it occurred (spatial context)
- When it happened (temporal context)
These elements help recreate the original experience.
Define a schema in the context of memory.
A mental framework that allows us to process, organize, and interpret information with minimal effort.
Schemas enhance cognitive efficiency and help with quick understanding.
What is chunking in memory processing?
Grouping information into meaningful units to overcome working memory limitations.
Example: Chunking phone numbers or passwords.
How are imagination and memory reconstruction related?
Remembering is an imaginative reconstruction, not a replay of fixed traces.
Memory can be influenced by current knowledge and schemas.
True or False: Emotional arousal enhances memory consolidation.
True.
Stress hormones like noradrenaline are released during emotional experiences.
What are the effects of emotion on memory?
- Increased vividness and subjective sense of remembering
- Better memory for central vs. peripheral details
- Potential for memory distortions
Includes mood-congruent memory biases.
What distinguishes familiarity from recollection in memory?
- Familiarity: Fast, automatic sense of knowing
- Recollection: Slower, effortful retrieval of details
These processes rely on different brain regions.
What drives curiosity and prediction errors in learning?
Prediction errors initiate a cycle that stimulates curiosity and motivates exploration.
Dopamine is released during curiosity-driven exploration.
What is the importance of collaborative remembering?
It can align memories, leading to shared narratives that enhance or distort individual memories.
Influenced by social conformity and group dynamics.
What is the testing effect?
Actively retrieving information through testing leads to better long-term retention than passive re-reading.
Strengthens memory traces.
How does sleep contribute to memory consolidation?
Different sleep stages contribute to memory consolidation, with slow-wave sleep important for declarative memory.
REM sleep may benefit procedural and emotional memories.
What role does the amygdala play in memory?
It processes emotions and interacts with the hippocampus during encoding and retrieval of emotional memories.
Enhances memory for central details.
Fill in the blank: Memory is an _______ reconstruction.
[imaginative]
What are effective learning strategies mentioned?
- Frequent low-stakes quizzing
- Interleaving different topics
- Gradually increasing intervals between review sessions
- Elaborative rehearsal
These enhance long-term retention.
What does error-driven learning entail?
Learning from mistakes during memory retrieval, identifying weak connections for updates.
Encourages embracing errors for effective learning.
