Psychology Week 6 - Memory

short-term memory (STM)

(also, working memory) holds about seven bits of information before it is forgotten or stored, as well as information that has been retrieved and is being used

Short-term memory storage lasts

15-30 seconds

According to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model, name and describe the three stages of memory.

According to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model, memory is processed in three stages. The first is sensory memory; this is very brief: 1-2 seconds. Anything not attended to is ignored. The stimuli we pay attention to then move into our short-term memory. Short-term memory can hold approximately 7 bits of information for around 20 seconds. Information here is either forgotten, or it is encoded into long-term memory through the process of rehearsal. Long-term memory is the permanent storage of information—its capacity is basically unlimited.

The ________ says that memories are processed the same way that a computer processes information.

Atkinson-Shiffrin model. According to the A-S model, memories are processed through sensory, short-term, and long-term memory.

Who developed the idea that short-term memories get "filed away" in three different areas of the brain: a visuo-spatial area, a phonological loop for auditory memories, and an episodic buffer for multi-modal memories with storylines?

Baddeley and Hitch

What might happen to your memory system if you sustained damage to your hippocampus?

Because your hippocampus seems to be more of a processing area for your explicit memories, injury to this area could leave you unable to process new declarative (explicit) memories; however, even with this loss, you would be able to create implicit memories (procedural memory, motor learning and classical conditioning).

Compare and contrast implicit and explicit memory.

Both are types of long-term memory. Explicit memories are memories we consciously try to remember and recall. Explicit memory is also called declarative memory and is subdivided into episodic memory (life events) and semantic memory (words, ideas, and concepts). Implicit memories are memories that are not part of our consciousness; they are memories formed from behaviors. Implicit memory is also called non-declarative memory and includes procedural memory as well as things learned through classical conditioning.

Episodic memories and semantic memories are both examples of ________ memory.

Explicit

____________ memories are passive memories that we do not have to work to remember.

Implicit

Compare and contrast the two processes we use to encode information.

Information is encoded through automatic or effortful processing. Automatic processing refers to all information that enters long-term memory without conscious effort. This includes things such as time, space, and frequency—for example, your ability to remember what you ate for breakfast today or the fact that you remember that you ran into your best friend in the supermarket twice this week. Effortful processing refers to encoding information through conscious attention and effort. Material that you study for a test requires effortful processing.

___________ and ___________ are two factors that affect short-term memory retention.

Memory trace decay; interference

In order for a memory to go into storage, it has to pass through three distinct stages known as

Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Long-Term Memory

What is the self-reference effect, and how can it help you study more effectively?

The self-reference effect is the tendency an individual to have better memory for information that relates to oneself than information that is not personally relevant. You can use the self-reference effect to relate the material to something you have already learned for another class, or think how you can apply the concepts to your life. When you do this, you are building a web of retrieval cues that will help you access the material when you want to remember it.

Compare and contrast the two types of amnesia.

There are two types of amnesia: retrograde and anterograde. Both involve the loss of long-term memory that occurs as the result of disease, physical trauma, or psychological trauma. With anterograde amnesia, you cannot remember new information; however, you can remember information and events that happened prior to your injury. Retrograde amnesia is the exact opposite: you experience loss of memory for events that occurred before the trauma.

Compare and contrast the two types of interference.

There are two types of interference: retroactive and proactive. Both are types of forgetting caused by a failure to retrieve information. With retroactive interference, new information hinders the ability to recall older information. With proactive interference, it's the opposite: old information hinders the recall of newly learned information.

You and your roommate spent all of last night studying for your psychology test. You think you know the material; however, you suggest that you study again the next morning an hour prior to the test. Your roommate asks you to explain why you think this is a good idea. What do you tell her?

You remind her about Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve: the information you learn drops off rapidly with time. Even if you think you know the material, you should study it again right before test time to increase the likelihood the information will remain in your memory. Overlearning can help prevent storage decay.

memory-enhancing strategy

a technique to help make sure information goes from short-term memory to long-term memory

Doug cannot find his keys, but cannot remember where. This is an example of

absentmindedness

recall

accessing information without cues

When you are learning how to play the piano, the statement "Every good boy does fine" can help you remember the notes E, G, B, D, and F for the lines of the treble clef. This is an example of a (an) ________.

acrostic

retrieval

act of getting information out of long-term memory storage and back into conscious awareness

memory consolidation:

active rehearsal to move information from short-term memory into long-term memory

misinformation effect paradigm

after exposure to incorrect information, a person may misremember the original event

When rats had their ________ removed, they no longer experienced their fear memory.

amygdala. The amygdala helps to regulate emotions.

In the movie "50 First Dates," the main character wakes up each day not remembering the day before or having met her new boyfriend. She suffers from ________ amnesia.

anterograde

Shaquallah suffered a head injury in a soccer game and can remember everything from her past, but can no longer make new memories. What type of amnesia does she have?

anterograde

The type of memory processing that is done without conscious awareness is known as

automatic

When questioning a victim about the perpetrator of a crime, the police should

be intentionally vague and provide opportunities for the victim to offer information.

If your memory of the home run you hit in the softball game becomes exaggerated to enhance your own performance, then you have fallen prey to a common memory tendency to distort your memories to fit your feelings about the world. This is called

bias

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is also known as ________.

blocking

The formulation of new memories is sometimes called ________, and the process of bringing up old memories is called ________.

construction; reconstruction

long-term memory (LTM)

continuous storage of information

storage

creation of a permanent record of information

suggestibility: effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories

effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories

________ is when our recollections of the past are done in a self-enhancing manner.

egocentric bias

effortful processing

encoding of information that takes effort and attention

automatic processing

encoding of informational details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words

The three functions of memory are ________.

encoding, storage, retrieval

This physical trace of memory is known as the ________.

engram

The storage capacity of long-term memory is ________.

essentially limitless

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: knowing the capital of Texas

explicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: knowing the word "flower" in Japanese

explicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: remembering the time you fell out of a tree when you were five

explicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: remembering what present you bought for your aunt

explicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: solving a geometry problem

explicit

Episodic memories and semantic memories are both examples of ________ memory.

explicit

Long-term memories you have to consciously think about are

explicit memories

persistence

failure of the memory system that involves the involuntary recall of unwanted memories, particularly unpleasant ones

The recall of false autobiographical memories is known as

false memory syndrome

An exceptionally clear recollection of an important event is a (an) ________.

flashbulb memory

An exceptionally clear recollection of an important event, such as 9/11, is a ________.

flashbulb memory

memory construction

formulation of new memories

bias

how feelings and view of the world distort memory of past events

recognition

identifying previously learned information after encountering it again, usually in response to a cue

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: climbing a tree

implicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: opening a present

implicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: speaking your native language.

implicit

Determine if you would need implicit or explicit memory: writing using a pen and paper

implicit

Hearing a French speaker and later noticing French food more often wherever you go

implicit

retroactive interference

information learned more recently hinders the recall of older information

levels of processing

information that is thought of more deeply becomes more meaningful and thus better committed to memory

visual encoding

input of images

encoding

input of information into the memory system

acoustic encoding

input of sounds, words, and music.

semantic encoding

input of words and their meaning

absentmindness

lapses in memory that are caused by breaks in attention or our focus being somewhere else

relearning

learning information that was previously learned

Short-term memory takes information from sensory memory and sometimes connects that memory to something already in

long-term memory.

forgetting

loss of information from long-term memory

amnesia

loss of long-term memory that occurs as the result of disease, physical trauma, or psychological trauma

anterograde amnesia

loss of memory for events that occur after the brain trauma

retrograde amnesia

loss of memory for events that occur before the brain trauma

The self-referencing effect refers to ________.

making the material you are trying to memorize personally meaningful to you

implicit memory

memories that are not part of our consciousness

explicit memory

memories we consciously try to remember and recall

mnemonic device

memory aids that help organize information for encoding

transience

memory error in which unused memories fade with the passage of time

misattribution

memory error in which you confuse the source of your information

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model

memory model that states we process information through three systems: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory

Confusing the source of information is called

misattribution

Jazmin tells her best friend, Ella, about a time in middle school when she went to the mall and spilled an entire bottle of ketchup onto her lap. Ella is surprised at the story and says, "No, that didn't happen to you---that happened to me! We were there together, remember?" This is an example of when the source of the memory is confused. This is known as

misattribution

When the source of a memory is confused, like you think the storyline of a t.v. show you watched actually happened to you in real life, it is called

misattribution

Confusing the source of information is called

misattribution.

Memory aids that help us organize information for encoding are called

mnemonic devices

proactive interference

old information hinders the recall of newly learned information

chunking

organizing information into manageable bits or chunks.

Students were asked about the speed of cars involved in an accident. When the verb was changed from "contacted" to "smashed", ________.

participants estimated the speed of the vehicle involved in the crash to be higher.

Martha needs 3 eggs from the store, so she thinks of a shoe filled with 3 eggs. This is an example the ________ technique.

peg word

Which of the seven sins of memory occurs when you simply cannot forget a traumatic event?

persistence

engram

physical trace of memory

Derek's email log-in forced him to create a new password, but now when he logs on, he only remembers his old password. This is an example of ________ interference.

proactive

________ interference occurs when old information hinders the recall of newly learned information, while ________ interference happens when information learned more recently hinders the recall of older information.

proactive; retroactive

reconstruction

process of bringing up old memories that might be distorted by new information

false memory syndrome

recall of false autobiographical memories

Which type of memory is tested on a multiple choice test?

recognition

A multiple choice quiz question will test ________ while an open-ended question will test ________.

recognition; recall

___________ involves a process of comparison whereas _________ is the access of information without cues.

recognition; recall

Gabe was essentially fluent in French in elementary school when he lived in Canada, but then moved away until he got a job offer to work in Paris during his 20s. He picks it up again surprisingly fast. This is an example of ________, a means of retrieving information out of your long-term memory storage system.

relearning

Demarcus suffered a concussion in his first lacrosse match, causing him to forget everything that happened prior to the match. He has ________ amnesia.

retrograde

Bryson remembers nothing before his concussion happened, meaning he has ________ amnesia. If he were unable to learn new things, he would have ________ amnesia.

retrograde; anterograde

Samantha needs to remember a string of numbers, and does so by associating each set of numbers with the jersey numbers worn by her favorite football players. This is an example of ________ encoding.

semantic

Thinking about the meaning of a word and categorizing it into the context of other words you already know is an example of ________ encoding.

semantic

Before a memory makes it to long-term memory, it must first pass through ________ and short-term memory.

sensory

Memory of brief events, like the smell of french fries you pass on the way to the corner store, are stored in ________ memory.

sensory

Memory

set of processes used to encode, store, and retrieve information over different periods of time

equipotentiality hypothesis

some parts of the brain can take over for damaged parts in forming and storing memories

sensory memory

storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes

arousal theory

strong emotions trigger the formation of strong memories and weaker emotional experiences form weaker memories

Which of the seven sins of memory occurs if an investigator asks a child leading questions, causing them to make up a memory?

suggestibility

memory

system or process that stores what we learn for future use

self-reference effect

tendency for an individual to have better memory for information that relates to oneself in comparison to material that has less personal relevance

encoding specificity principle:

the hypothesis that a retrieval cue will be effective to the extent that information encoded from the cue overlaps or matches information in the engram or memory trace.

If co-witnesses of a crime are permitted to talk to each other, they are prone to contaminate each other's memories. This is an example of

the misinformation

elaborative rehearsal: thinking about the meaning of the new information and its relation to knowledge already stored in your memory

thinking about the meaning of the new information and its relation to knowledge already stored in your memory

Mekayla loved her second grade teacher and remembers it being her favorite year of elementary school. When her niece asks her about her favorite part of second grade, Mekayla has a hard time remembering anything that actually happened during that year. This is an example of

transcience

True or False: Ebbinghaus found that memory for information drops off rapidly and eventually levels off after 30 days. He called this the forgetting curve and his research demonstrated that 80% of what you learn is lost in the first 30 days after learning.

true

semantic memory

type of declarative memory about words, concepts, and language-based knowledge and facts

episodic memory

type of declarative memory that contains information about events we have personally experienced, also known as autobiographical memory

procedural memory

type of long-term memory for making skilled actions, such as how to brush your teeth, how to drive a car, and how to swim

declarative memory

type of long-term memory of facts and events we personally experience

When H.M. had his hippocampus removed, he was

unable to form new semantic memories

Malik is memorizing some lines for his school play and struggles with, "Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he's some other where." To practice, he writes it out emphasizing words with capital letters: "Tut, I have lost myself; I AM NOT HERE; This is not Romeo, he's some OTHER WHERE." He is utilizing principles of ________ encoding.

visual

________ is another name for short-term memory.

working memory