Chapter 6 PSYCH 101

what is the magical number?

7 plus or minus 2

Retrieving information from LTM

Recall retrieve information learned earlier Coming up with items from scratch Recognition identify items previously learned Identifying items from a list of items Easier to do

Rote rehearsal in LTM

Repetition without any intention or thinking has little effect

Maintaining STM

Rote rehearsal, repeating information over and over, is useful in holding information in short-term memory.

What area(s) of the brain are associated with the formation of new memories?

Temporal lobe - involved in the formation and storage of long-term semantic and episodic memories and contributes to the processing of a new material in short-term memory Amygdala - vital to the formation of new emotional memories Hippocampus - plays a pivotal role in the formation of new long-term semantic and episodic memories Cerebellum - plays an important role in the storage of procedural memories

Elaborative Rehearsal and LTM

The more links or associations of meaning are made, the more likely the information is to be remembered Form hierarchies or categories-Organize knowledge under narrower concepts/headings use Mnemonics-Techniques that make material easier to remember

example of recall

The process of storing information in memory is called ______________.

Example of Recognition

The process of storing information in memory is called: a. rehearsal b. deep processing c. encoding d. retrieval

Capacity of STM

The short-term memory can hold only as much information that can be repeated or rehearsed-about 1.5 or 2 seconds. - chunking

What type of memory did he still have intact after the removal of his hippocampus?

he is able to retrieve old memories before the surgery

emotional memories

learned emotional responses to various stimuli

semantic memories

long-term memories of general facts and information

Episodic memory

long-term memories of personally experienced events.

procedural memories

long-term memory that stores information related to skills, habits, and other perceptual-motor tasks

Retrieval

process of getting information out of memory

Sequence of information processing

stimulus-->sensory memory-->attention-->short-term memory-->encoding-->long term memory-->retrieval from STM

Sensory Registers (stage 1)

the entry points for all of the raw information from the senses - *Unlimited capacity but very short duration* Can hold information for 1/3 sec.- a few sec. We don't always remember this information. If we don't process this information further, it disappears

Serial Position Effect

the finding that when asked to recall a list of unrelated items, performance is better for the items at the beginning and end of the list.

chunking

the grouping of information into meaningful units, helps to increase this capacity

long term memory (stage 3)

the portion of memory that is more or less permanent, corresponding to everything we "know." Unlike short-term memory, long-term memory has the capacity to store a large amount of information for years. *Unlimited capacity and long duration*. Most information in long-term memory stored semantically (i.e. in terms of meanings or associations)

Encoding

the process of information entering the memory system

Attention

the process of selectively looking, listening, smelling, tasting, and feeling. We give meaning to the information that is coming in Attention affects what we remember

Storage

the retention of encoded information over time

short term memory (working memory-stage 2)

two primary functions: - to briefly store new information and work on that (and other) information Limited in capacity but longer duration (15-20 sec) compared to sensory registers. - Requires rote rehearsal to maintain information - Rapid decay with no rehearsal

Encoding in STM

- Most verbal and visual information is stored in STM phonologically-the way it sounds. - Other information (painting, diagrams, maps) is stored in visual form. - Memory for images is better than memory for words.

Visual vs. Auditory Registers

- New information continues to enter the visual register - New visual information replaces old information almost immediately. - Auditory information *fades more slowly* (important for speech)

Mnemonics for maintaining LTM

- use of acronyms HOMES-Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior Knuckle mnemonics - Rhymes, jingles, songs Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction ABC song Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, ... song My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nuts

Eyewitness Testimony

Eyewitness testimony is also assumed to be accurate but it is often inaccurate because of: source error - confusion about what you have heard about an event with what you actually witnessed. Accuracy influenced by Imaging, thinking, Discussions New additional information Cross examination

What is a flashbulb memory?

Flashbulb memories are vivid recollections of certain events and the incidents surrounding it even after a significant amount of time has passed. These memories are vivid but not always accurate. Influenced by discussions, thinking, additional information

Maintaining LTM

There are three processes that are used to hold information in long-term memory: rote rehearsal - repeating information over and over. elaborative rehearsal - more effective type of rehearsal that involves linking new information in STM to familiar material stored in LTM. Schemata - sets of beliefs or expectations about something that is based on past experience