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