Psychology Chapter 7 Human Memory
STM How much (capacity)?
"four, plus or minus two"
STM How long (durability)
20 seconds; interfering material may cause info to be lost; rehearsed info will stay in the STM longer
Encoding
How info gets into your memory Attention and Filtering: divided attention reduces the ability to remember (built in spam filter); decreases performance (cocktail party example)
Sensory Memory
Preserves info in its sensory form for a very brief time (seconds of time) Someone drawing pics with lights, it disappears quickly Talking on the phone while on computer
Context/State Dependent Learning
Retrieval comes more easily when the same context/mental state that occurred during encoding EX: being in a different room when taking the final makes a difference
Retroactive v. Proactive
Retro: new info knocks out old info Proactive: new info gets in the way of sorting old info
Amnesia (3)
Retrograde Amnesia, Anterograde Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue
Enriching Encoding (4)
Elaboration, Visual Imagery, Dual-Encoding Theory, Self-Referent Encoding
3 Main Steps in Memory
Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval
Contextual Cues
Environmental or internal cues that facilitate the retrieval of info
Motivated Forgetting
Forgetting things you don't want to think about (repression) I.e. traumatic experiences, block it out
Dual-Encoding Theory
Forming semantic AND visual codes (either code can lead to recall)
Conceptual Hierarchy
Multilevel classification system based on common properties among items
Intermediate Processing
Phonemic encoding (similarity to other things, i.e. rhyming
Four Components of W.M.M.
Phonological Loop, Visuospatial Sketchpad, Central Executive System, Episodic Buffer
Visuospatial Sketchpad
Temporarily hold and manipulate visual images (picturing how to arrange your room)
Clustering
Tendency to remember similar or related items in groups
Dissociative Fugue
The inability to recall some or all of one's past or identity, or the formation of a new identity co-occurring with sudden travel
Memory
the process by which information is taken in, kept, and made available for later use
Short Term Memory
A limited-capacity store that can maintain unrehearsed info for a short amount of time
Working Memory
Actively hold pieces of transitory info in the mind
Schema
An organized cluster of knowledge about a particular object or event, abstracted from previous experience with it (in other words, an organized set of expectations)
Long Term Memory
An unlimited capacity store that can hold info over lengthy periods of time; procedural (things we do regularly i.e. ride a bike) and episodic (friend did something one time)
Chunking
Breaking info into manageable or meaningful segments (phone numbers)
The Working Memory Model
Chunking, working memory
Organizing Memories (4)
Clustering, Conceptual Hierarchy, Semantic Network, Schema
Semantic Network
Concepts joined by pathways that link related concepts or similar meaning->Spreading Activation (bitter=beer-->resentful (kind of synonym of bitter)-->spiteful-->angry, etc.)
LTM How long?
Conflicting evidence, retrieval failure or storage failure?
Episodic Buffer
Consolidation before long-term memory (Shrinking (vacuum bag) info to store it easier)
Central Executive System
Coordinates switching and focusing attention
Visual Imagery
Creating a visual image of the stimuli ("swimming" is easier to imagine than "lies")
Retrograde Amnesia
Inability to recall memories for events PRIOR to the onset of amnesia
Anterograde Amnesia
Inability to recall memories for events that occur AFTER the onset of amnesia
Forgetting (5)
Ineffective Encoding, Decay, Interference, Retrieval Failure, Motivated Forgetting
Elaboration
Linking the stimulus to other information (Hillary telling stories so we remember)
Self-Referent Encoding
Making material personally meaningful (relating it to your life)
Ineffective Encoding
Material was never fully stored in memory
Retrieval Failure
May be due to mismatch of retrieval cue and encoding info (Hillary putting different definition on the test than what she gave us in lecture)
Reconstructing Memories
Memories are reconstructions of past events; misinformation effect
Decay
Memories traces fade over time (Remembering locker combo after years)
Retrieval Definition
Re-accessing info from the past that has been encoded and stored in memory (brain "replays" the pattern of neural activity)
Retrieval Components (6)
Recall, Recognition Retrieval Cues, Tip of the tongue phenom, Contextual Cues, Context/State Dependent Learning
Deep Processing
Sematic encoding (meaning to words, i.e. is it pleasant) *best way people remember
Storage (2)
Sensory Memory, Short Term Memory
Levels of Processing (3)
Shallow, Intermediate, Deep
Retrieval Cues
Stimuli that help gain access to memories
Shallow Processing
Structural encoding (counting number of E's)
Phonological Loop
Verbal rehearsal
Interference
We forget because memories are competing with other material Learning Languages: mix the 2 together
Misinformation Effect
When recall of witnessed event is altered by introducing misleading post event information; false memories: telling a friend a story and they think they remember, but turns out it was a different friend