PSYO 111 - Chapter 6

Echoic Memory

Fast-decaying store of auditory information for about 5 seconds or less

Iconic Memory

Fast-decaying store of visual information held for 1 second or less

Survival encoding

Includes semantic, visual imagery, and organizational encoding; encourages extensive planning to benefit memory and to remember information relevant to our survival

Reconsolidation

Memories are vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled

Consolidation

Memories become stable in brain; sleep plays an important role

Semantic memory

Network of associated facts and concepts that make up general knowledge - hippocampus not necessary for this

Flashbulb memories

Persistence - Detailed recollections of when/where we heard about shocking events; not always accurate but remembered more often

State-dependent Retrieval

Tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding and retrieval

Retrieval

Bringing to mind information that has been encoded and stored

Semantic encoding types

- semantic judgements (the meaning of the word) - rhyme judgements (sound of the word) - visual judgements (appearance of words).

Memory misattribution

A sin of memory - assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source - primary causes of eyewitness misidentifications - prone to if damage to frontal lobe

Bias

A sin of memory - distorting influence of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences - current moods _____ recall of past experiences

Blocking

A sin of memory - failure to retrieve information that is available in memory - occurs most often for names of people and places - links to related concepts/knowledge are weaker

Transience

A sin of memory - forgetting what occurs with passage of time, occurs during storage phase of memory, influenced by interference from other memories - includes retroactive interference and proactive interference

Persistence

A sin of memory - intrusive recollection of events that we want to forget; emotional experiences are better remembered that non-emotional experiences

Absentmindedness

A sin of memory - lapse in attention that results in memory failure - caused by a lack of attention or by forgetting to carry out actions planned to do in the future

Suggestibility

A sin of memory - tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections - memories are vulnerable to others and their interpretations and suggestions

Memory

Ability to store and retrieve information over time.

Prospective memory

Absentmindedness - Remembering to do things in the future

Working memory

Activate maintenance of information in short-term storage; store and manipulate visual images or verbal information and executive function

Consistency Bias

Bias to reconstruct the past to fit the present

Organizational encoding

Categorizing information according to the relationships among items, can improve recall by organizing everything into multiple-level categories, activates the upper surface of the left frontal lobe

Transactive Memory

Collaborative remembering among a group/couple

Episodic memory

Collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time/place

How memories are made

Combining information we already have with new information from the senses; memories are constructed, not recorded.

Chunking

Combining small pieces of information into large clusters or chunks to make it easier to store

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

Communication across the synapse between neurons strengthens the connection, making future communication easier

Explicit memory

Consciously or intentionally retrieve past experiences

Priming

Enhanced ability to think of a stimulus as a result of recent exposure to the stimulus

Change bias

Exaggerate difference between what we feel and believe (now vs. before)

Egocentric Bias

Exaggerate the change between past and present to make ourselves look good

Retrieval cues

External information associated with stored information to help bring it to mind; information is available in memory, just momentarily inaccessible

Procedural memory

Gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice

Short-term memory

Holds non-sensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute; phone number for example - limited by how long it can hold information and how much it can (usually 7 items)

Sensory storage

Holds sensory information for a few seconds or less; includes iconic and echoic memory

Collaborative memory

How people remember in groups

Conceptual Priming

Implicit memory for the meaning of word or how you use an object

Perceptual Priming

Implicit memory for the sensory features of an object

Retrograde amnesia

Inability to retrieve information before a particular date

Anterograde amnesia

Inability to transfer new information from short-term to long-term

Semantic encoding

Long-term retention is enhanced by this; process of relating information in meaningful way to store knowledge - associated with lower left part of the frontal lobe and inner part of left temporal lobe

Storage

Maintaining information in memory over time

Transfer-appropriate Processing

Memory is likely to transfer from one situation to another when the encoding/retrieval contexts of the situations match

False Recognition

Memory misattribution - a feeling of familiarity about something that hasn't been encountered before - deja vu (suddenly you feel you have been in a situation but you can't recall any details)

Source memory

Memory misattribution - recall of when, where, and how information acquired

Spaces between neurons (sending a NT across a synapse changes the synapse, strengthening the connection between the neurons)

Memory storage depends on ________

Implicit memory

Past experiences influence later behavior and performance even without an effort to remember them or have awareness of the recollection; presence is implied by our actions

Problems and benefits with groups

Problems: - retrieval strategies used by individuals might disrupt those used by others - social loafing (people prone to exert less effort on a task when in a group compared to being alone) Benefits: - Others reveal items that others don't remember - Others may reduce/correct memory errors

Rehearsal

Process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally repeating it

Visual Imagery Encoding

Process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures - helps to relate incoming knowledge to present knowledge; helps to have two mental placeholders (visual and verbal)

Encoding

Process of transforming what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory.

Encoding Specificity Principle

Retrieval cue can serve to remind/recreate how memory was encoded (sit at same spot, remember better)

Retrieval-induced Forgetting

Retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs recall of related items - trying to recall = left frontal lobe - actually recalling = hippocampal region and senses

Visual Judgements

The appearance of words

Semantic Judgements

The meaning of the word

Collaborative Inhibition

The same number of individuals working together recall fewer items than they would on their own

Rhyme Judgements

The sound of the word

Retroactive interference

Transience - later learning impairs memory for information acquired earlier; days blending together

Proactive interference

Transience - earlier learning impairs memory for information acquired later; forgetting where you park if you always park in the same parking lot

Long-term memory

Type of storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, years - no capacity limits - people can recall things even when they haven't thought of them for years