Chapter 7 Memory
What are the three stages involved in the memory process?
1. Encoding- process of getting info into our memory banks; if there is no encoding there is no memory; encoding in a meaningful way improves memory 2. Storage- process of keeping info in memory 3. Retrieval- reconstruction of experiences from our memory stores; retrieval is cue driven- need environmental cue to retrieval info; if encoding conditions match retrieval conditions- better memory
Know levels-of processing effect from Craik and Tulving
According to the levels of processing model, the more deeply we process info, the better we remember it. It was developed by Craik and Tulving. There are three levels of processing of verbal info: visual, phonological (sound-related), and semantic (meaning-related). Semantic is the deepest therefore we remember things we encode semantically.
What are the major components of the Atkinson & Shiffrin model of memory? How are they related
Atkinson and Shiffrin Model of memory: - sensory memory= very short term storage (less than 1 second); stored in the senses - some sensory memories get passed into short-term (working) memory - some short-term memories get stored into long-term memory (STM and LTM can go back and forth between the two) Some information is lost between each system.
Retrieval is driven by cues. What does this mean? What can operate as a cue?
Retrieval is cue dependent, meaning that an environmental cue is needed to retrieve info from memory. Cues can include pegwords, sounds/songs, tastes/smells, objects/patterns, context (temperature and ambient cues).
What are some of the ways that we forget things? Give examples of each.
The amygdala, where memories regarding fear are stored, and the hippocampus contribute different info to memories. The amygdala stores the fear while the hippocampus stores the memories of events that produced the fear. If one or the other is damaged, a person will not be able to remember either the fear or the events. Alzheimer's and amnesia are also other causes of memory loss. Memory can also fail if the synapses between neurons are weakened. Amnesia and deterioration.
What is the misinformation effect and memory construction and why are these important? What are some examples given in class
The misinformation effect- creation of fictitious memories by providing misleading information about an event after it takes place. In Loftus' study, she showed a video of a car accident to participants. When using different words such as hit, collided, or smashed, the participants reported the cars were going different speeds, with smashed being the fastest. She also asked if there had been any glass on the ground. People who heard the word smashed were more likely to say yes. Another example is a study where people's faces were put into a picture of them in a hot air balloon. Even though it did not happen, most participants recalled some information about the hot air balloon ride. The DRM demonstration is where you are given a list of words. When a related word that was not on the list is mentioned, most participants believed it was on it. They were able to recognize associated words. -Shows how inaccurate our memories are and how easily it is to tamper with them.
Memory
retention of information over time
What are the different types of long-term memories? How do we know that they are separable?
Explicit Memories- memories we are actively aware of we can attend to them Semantic- facts and figures the bold terms in book Episodic- memory of events in your life Implicit Memories- Procedures/classically condition things cannot actively attend to them. Procedural- Procedures/stored on a lower level process (i.e. learning how to ride a bike) Priming- Idea that things implicitly without our knowledge affecting us. Old age words and Young words (medicine-motorcycle) walked out experiment slower than young person primes. Conditioning- associated the electric buzz with the way the person looks and has a lower level memory to avoid that stimulus Habituation- in which you get used to thing in your environment (by seeing it before) Store that you see, feel, heard it before and it is not important.
What is the difference between implicit and explicit memories?
Explicit memories are those we are consciously aware of and can recall intentionally. Implicit memories are those that are not conscious and we do not deliberately remember or reflect on.
What is the experimental method discussed in class for assessing sensory memory (hint. Iconic memory)?
George Sperling's iconic memory experiment: He showed a matrix of letters for a second on a screen. Participants were asked to recite the letters- they got an average of 4 (only were able to read top row). They were then trained to respond to 3 different tones pertaining to each row in the matrix. They were 90% accurate. This experiment suggested that we have a short-term memory storage.
what is long-term memory? How long does long-term memory last? What is its capacity?
Long-term memory- long term storage of facts, experiences, skills. is enduring retention of info stored regarding our facts, experiences, and skills. LTM is a much more permanent storage for memories, but it is slower to access. The capacity is so large that it is not known- could be years or even infinite.
What is short term/working memory? How long does a short-term memory last without rehearsal? What are the different methods used to assess its capacity and what estimates did they produce?
Short-term memory is a memory system that retains info for limited durations. STM is easy(fast) to access but has a limited (space) capacity. The duration of short-term memory is only about 18-20 seconds. Rehearsal (repeating info to retain it longer) can increase the duration of STM. The capacity of STM was studied by George Miller. He said the "magic number" (universal limit of STM) is 7 plus/minus 2. (5-9 digits can be remembered without rehearsal). This number was found through verbal suppression techniques- having people repeat a word prevents them from mentally rehearsing the last few numbers (or digits, etc.)