Topic 7: the many types of memory

Korsakoff's Syndrome

A chronic memory disorder caused by severe thiamine (vitamin B-1) deficiency. (Commonly associated with chronic alcohol use)

eg, could be asked 'what song was played earlier' they wouldn't know, but if asked 'which song do you prefer' they ar ore likely to choose the one played earlier.

Retrieval Paths

Connections made during learning that help access stored information later.

Context-Dependent Memory

Improved recall when the retrieval environment matches the encoding environment.

context reinstatement

process of recreating the original physical environment, emotional state, or mental surroundings from when a memory was first formed to help improve memory retrieval.

Encoding Specificity Principle

Environmental and internal cues present at encoding serve as the best retrieval cues.

External Environment

Where you were when encoding

Internal Environment

What you were thinking about during rehearsal

state-dependent memory

Better at recalling memories when in same physiological state as encoding

mood-dependent memory

Memory retrieval better when in same mood as encoding

Memory Network

A system where memories are represented as nodes connected by association links.

Spreading Activation

The process where an activated node spreads activation to adjacent nodes.

subthreshold activation

As activation spreads from nodes via association links, nodes can become partially activated

Semantic Priming

Exposure to a concept speeds up the processing of a subsequent related concept.

lexical decision task

Presented a serious of stimuli and have to make a decision about whether combination of letters are words or not

Recall

Reproduction of info with no retrieval cues

Recognition

sense of familiarity gives info - MCQ test

relearning

measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning info a second time

Rhinal Cortex vs. Hippocampus

Rhinal cortex activity signals familiarity, while hippocampus activity enables source memory.

Implicit Memory

Long-term memory for procedural tasks and conditioning that does not require conscious awareness.

procedural memory

a type of implicit memory that involves motor and cognitive tasks that have a physical element

Priming

an earlier stimulus influences response to a later stimuli

Source confusion (misattribution)

memory error where a person remembers fact or event correctly but mistakes where, when, or from who they learned it

Word-stem completion task

given 3-4 letter words and are asked to complete word.

more likely to produce a specific word if encountered recently

False Fame Study

Demonstrates how source confusion leads people to misattribute familiarity of non-famous names to fame.

Cryptoplagiarism

Accidentally plagiarizing when a remembered idea is experienced as a brand-new original thought.

Illusion of Truth

Increased belief in a statement's truth simply because it has been heard before.

Processing Fluency

The speed and ease with which activation flows through a processing pathway.

processing pathway

Sequence of detectors, and connections between them, that activation flows though in recognizing specific stimuli

Implicit memories

unconscious automatic memories that are non-declarative

Explicit memories

conscious deliberate memories, that can be declared or verbalized

Episodic memories

Memories of specific events that have been personally experienced

Amnesia

Loss of (explicit) memory

Semantic memories

general world knowledge, facts, concepts etc…

Retrograde amnesia

Loss of memories prior to inducing event

Anterograde amnesia

loss of memories after inducing event

Kent Cochran's Case

Brain damage that severely disrupted episodic memory while leaving semantic memory intact.

Hippocampus vs. Amygdala Damage in Conditioning

Hippocampus damage spares implicit conditioning; amygdala damage spares explicit awareness but blocks conditioning.