Chapter 9-10 Psychology - Memory

Information Processing Model of Memory

A method of describing memory through the comparison of memory to the functions of a computer, in which information entering memory progress through a series of separate stages.

Narrative Chaining

A mnemonic device which involves connecting otherwise unrelated items to one another in a meaningful story or narrative.

P Value

A probability value that shows the statistical level at which chance is likely to have operated on the results obtained from research. also called Probabilty value

Motivated Forgetting

A theory that proposes forgetting in the LTM occurs due to a strong desire or motive to forget, usually because the experience is too disturbing/ traumatic/ upsetting to remember.

Information processing model of memory

Also called Atkinson-Shriffrin model, modal model or stage model. Consisting of sensory memory, short term memory, and long term memory, although the three different types of memory are viewed as separate or sub-systems of memory, they operate simultaneously and interact in many ways.

Inferential Statistics

Always has a P value. Used to interpret results and to decide whether they are meaningful or not. Indicates whether an experiment is statistically significant.

Deja vu

American psychologists Carole Wade and Carol Tavris have suggested that deja vu may occur when information entering the sensory memory 'short circuits', or fails to complete its normal route, and must therefore be re-processed.

Interference Theory

An idea that proposes that forgetting in the LTM occurs due to newer memories interfering with the older memories.

Alzheimer's Disease

An organic disorder that involves a gradual degeneration of brain cells resulting in severe deterioration of mental abilities, personal skills and behaviour.

Chunking

Grouping bits of separate information together in a larger unit so the grouped information can be remembered as one unit.

Central executive

In Alan Baddely's model of working memory, the component that integrates information from the phonological loop and the visuospatial working memory, as well as material retrieved from long-term memory. This also plays a major role in planning and controlling behavior.

Free Recall

Information is recalled in no particular order with the assistance of no retrieval cues.

Serial Recall

Information is reproduced in the particular order it was presented, without the assistance of retrieval cues.

Encoding

Information that is received and stored must be converted from its raw sensory state to a form that the brain can process and use. New information must also be placed, or represented, in some form - sound, visual image, touch or meaning - in the memory system. The entire process of converting information into a useable form or code that can be stored in memory is called encoding.

Recognition

Involves identifying the correct information from among alternatives. More information can be retrieved through recognition over the recall method because the recognition method provides more cues to assist in the location and retrieval of information from long term memory.

Maintenance Rehearsal

Involves repeating the information being rehearsed over and over to transfer and retain the information in to the short term memory.

Memory

Is an active information processing system that recieves, organises, stores and recovers information.

Episodic Memory

Is the declarative memory system that holds information about specific events or personal information, events or personal experiences.

Procedural Memory

Is the memory of actions and skills that have been learned previously and involvs "knowing how to do something."

Declarative Memory

Is the memory of specific facts or events that can be brought concsiously to mind and explicitly stated or "declared."

Rehearsal

Is the process of addressing and actively manipulating information so that it can be retained in memory.

Amnesia

Loss of memory, either partial or complete, temporary or permanent.

Consolidation Theory

Proposes that physical changes to the neurons in the brain occur when something new is being learned, as information is being encoded from STM to LTM. The stabilisation or consolidation of these changes requires a period of time for the information to be permanently stored in LTM.

Recall

Reproducing information with minimal amount of cues to assist retrieval.

Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of locating and recovering the stored information from memory so that we are consciously aware of it. Some information is easy, so automatic to retrieve although some information we rely on cues to retrieve the information.

Cued Recall

Retrieving information from memory through the assistance of a familiar stimulus, or cue.

Short Term Memory

Sensory information that is attended to is transferred to the Short Term Memory, sensory information not attended to is lost from memory. Short term memory stores information for roughly 18-20 seconds, although the information can be stored longer if a conscious effort is made to keep it there by rehearsing it.

Photographic Memory

Some individuals are able to recall highly detailed scenes as if the event were occurring before them. This is known as eidetic memory, or commonly, photographic memory. Eidetic images are an exact replica of a visual image that persists over time without distortion.

Storage

Storage is the retention of information over time.

Mnemonic Devices

Systems for remembering in which items are related to easily recalled sets of symbols, such as acronyms, phrases, jingles, songs, or an imagery.

Visual Working Memory

Temporarily stores visual and spatial information, such as the location and nature of objects in the environment.

Sensory Memory

The entry point for new information into the memory system. It stores vast quantities of incoming sensory information for up to several seconds.

Echoic Memory

The memory of auditory sensory information. Echoic memory is usually stored in its original sensory form for three or four seconds. This is generally long enough to select what has been heard for further processing and interpretation before the sound fades.

Iconic Memory

The memory of visual sensory information. In their original sensory form, visual images are usually retained in iconic memory for one third of a second, but last just long enough for the identification of the stimulus to begin.

Semantic Memory

The part of declarative memory that stores general information such as names and facts and generalised information about the world.

Recency Effect

The tendency to recall items from memory better when they are learned last (in a sequence).

Long Term Memory

The transfer from short term to long term memory involves a further level of encoding for storage in long term memory. Any information not encoded is lost from memory permanently. Information stored in long term memory can last a life time, and the information may be retrieved from long term memory and brought back to short term memory when needed.

Pseudo-forgetting

When you are unable to retrieve info from LTM (because it was not learnt initially, there was a failure to encode info in LTM).

Forgetting Curve

founded by Hermann Ebbinghaus. displays retention of information and forgetting over time. conclusions to this were that most forgetting happens right after learning something. this was modified to that forgetting doesn't occur that quickly if the subject is memorizing more meaningful material

Sensitivity of measures of retention

its ability to assess the amount of information that has been stored in memory