Psych 101 - Memory

Baddely's model of short-term memory

"working memory" 1st component: phonological loop > at work when you use recitation to temporarily hold onto a phone number 2nd component: visuospatial sketchpad > permits people to temporarily hold and manipulate visual images 3rd component: central executive system > controls the deployment of attention, switching the focus of attention, and dividing attention 4th component: episodic buffer > a temporary, limited capacity store that allows the various components of working memory to integrate information and serve as an interface between working memory and long-term memory

What are some characteristics of short term memory?

- limited capacity store - without rehearsal, short term memory is lost within 20 seconds

What are the characteristics of supertasters?

- more sensitive to certain sweet and bitter substances - respond more intensely to many fatty substances - more likely to be women example: Supertasters react far more strongly to the chemical (capsaicin) in hot peppers

echoic memory

- the auditory version of sensory memory; lasts 3-4 seconds - there is a brief mental echo that continues to sound after an auditory stimulus has been heard example: you friend recites a list of numbers, immediately stops and asks you to repeat the last four numbers

iconic memory

- the visual version of sensory memory - when the human brain remembers an image after briefly being shown the visual

repressed memories

Freudian theory; refers to keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconsciousness example: a subject was abused as a child and they cannot remember most of their childhood

chunk

a group of familiar stimuli stored as a single unit example: FBINBCCIAIBM > chunk> FBI-NBC-CIA-IBM

anterograde amnesia

a person loses memories for events that occur after the injury

retrograde amnesia

a person loses memories of events that occurred prior to the injury

schema

an organized cluster of knowledge about a particular object or event abstracted from previous experience with the object or event example: There was a study and people were asked to read about a dictator named Hitler. They were asked if they read the sentence, "He hated Jews and prosecuted them." They said yes, because it went along with the schema. In reality, the sentence was not included.

semantic network

consists of nodes representing concepts, joined together by pathways that link related concepts; shorter lines = stronger associations example: using the word "fire engine": truck, red, fire, danger, ladder, hose

semantic memory

contains general knowledge that is not tied to the time when the information was learned example: Christmas is December 25th, dogs have four legs, the capital of the United States is Washington, DC

What are the levels of memory processing?

encoding, storage, and retrieval

procedural memory

houses memory for actions, skills, condition response, and emotional memories example: how to type, how to ride a bike, muscle memory

encoding

involves forming a memory code; requires attention

storage

involves maintaining encoded information in memory over time

retrieval

involves recovering information from memory stores

retrospective memory

involves remembering events from the past or previously learned information example: when you try to recall who won the Super Bowl last year, when you reminisce about your high school days, or when you try and remember what your professor said in lecture last week

prospective memory

involves remembering to perform actions in the future example: remembering to walk the dog, to call someone, to grab tickers for the UNC basketball game

source monitoring errors

occurs when a memory derived from one source is attributed to another source example: Your friend tells you about a water-skiing squirrel but you recall that you read about it in the New York Times

retroactive interference

occurs when new information impairs the retention of previously learned information example: you study econ, then you study psych, when you take your econ exam you are thinking about your psych review

misinformation effect

occurs when participants' recall of an event they witnessed is altered by introducing misleading information > Elizabeth Loftus example: how you ask the question will influence the answer you get (called "leading questions")

proactive interference

occurs when previously learned information interferes with the retention of new information example: you study for psych, then you study econ, when you take your econ exam you're thinking about your psych review

sensory memory

preserves information in its original sensory form for a brief time, usually only a fraction of a second

serial-position effect

primacy effect: you remember items first on a list best because you repeat them recency effect: you remember items last on the list the best because they are the most recent

episodic memory

record of things you've done, seen, and heard; includes info about WHEN you did, saw, or heard these things example: recollections about being in the 9th grade play, visiting the Grand Canyon, attending an Avett Brothers concert

encoding specificity

the best cues are the ones that provide information that match, or are similar to, information at the time of learning example: if you sneak into the classroom and study there, there will be visual cues for you to latch onto as you take the exam

rehearsal

the process of repetitively verbalizing or thinking about information example: studying for a test

state dependent memory

the tendency to remember information best when you are in the same emotional or physiological state as when the information was learned example: if you're hungry when you're studying, you should be hungry when you're taking the test

mood-congruent memory

we remember information best if there's a match between your mood at retrieval and the emotional tone of the material example: when you're going through a break-up, you're more likely to remember the words to a sad song; reinforces depression

environment reinstatement effect

we remember something better if we return to the environment or context in which we learn the information example: when people who have had alcohol problems go back to the neighborhood they used to hang out in, they get cravings for alcohol