Intro to Psych Module 6

Prof Kucinsky @ pitt

Memory

Active system that receives information from the senses, puts it into usable form, organizes and stores it, and retrieves it later

Encoding

Mental operations that convert information into usable form in the brain’s storage systems; transforms perception/thought/feeling into memory

Storage

Holding on to information for some period of time

Retrieval

Bringing information from storage into conscious awareness to be used

Automatic Processing

Encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and meaning of words without conscious awareness (e.g., remembering when you last studied)

Effortful Processing

Encoding of details that takes time and effort, often requiring rehearsal (e.g., remembering what you studied, learning new skills)

Acoustic Encoding

Encoding of sounds

Visual Encoding

Encoding of images; concrete words (car, dog, book) easier to recall than abstract words (truth, value)

Semantic Encoding

Encoding of words and their meanings; most effective form; attaching meaning involves deeper processing and aids recall

Sensory Memory

First stage of memory; capacity = large, duration = very brief (0.5–4 sec)

Iconic Memory

Visual sensory memory; lasts about 0.5 sec

Echoic Memory

Auditory sensory memory; lasts 3–4 sec

Haptic Memory

Touch sensory memory; lasts < 1 sec

Sperling’s Iconic Memory Task (1960)

Showed people 9 letters briefly; could recall only 4–5 overall, but suggested all items briefly stored in sensory memory; memory decays rapidly with time delay

Short

Term Memory (STM)

Maintenance Rehearsal

Repeating information to hold in STM long enough to use

Elaborative Rehearsal

Encoding strategy using chunking, imagery, or making meaningful connections to move info into LTM

Long Term Memory (LTM)

capacity = large, duration = years, goal = store information for later retrieval

Memory Consolidation

Transfer of information from STM to LTM, often through rehearsal

shallow processing

physical and perceptual features are analyzed; the lines angles and contour of physical appearance (ex. of a car) are detected 

intermediate processing

stimulus is recognized; the object is recognized (ex. as a car)

deep processing

semantic, meaningful, symbolic characteristics are used; associations connected with car are brought to mind ex. the car you want to buy or the fun you’ve had in your car

Retrieval cue

A stimulus that helps trigger the recall of information from long

Encoding specificity

The tendency for memory retrieval to be improved when the context or state during retrieval matches the context or state when the memory was formed.

Recall

Retrieving information from long-term memory with very few external cues

Recognition

Matching a piece of information or a stimulus to a stored memory or fact.

Adaptive forgetting

The process of suppressing unneeded information, making it easier to remember relevant information.

Encoding failure

Failure to process information into memory, resulting in forgetting.

Curve of Forgetting

Ebbinghaus’s finding that memory recall drops sharply shortly after learning and then levels off.

Proactive interference

When older information interferes with the retrieval of newer information.

Retroactive interference

When newer information interferes with the retrieval of older information.

Memory trace

The physical change in the brain that occurs when a memory is formed.

Decay (Disuse)

The loss of memory over time due to the memory trace not being used.

context-dependent learning

the actual physical environment in which you learn information can later serve as a retrieval cue for that informtion

state-dependent learning

memories formed during a particular physiological or psychological state will be easier to recall while in a similar state