CLoA Review, Schema/MSM/Reliability

Cognition

The mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Schema

A mental framework (or category) by which we interpret incoming sensory information -- interconnected thoughts/memories/concepts related to -- helps guide our subsequent behavior(s)

Schema theory

Idea that all our stored information/memory is organized in categories, which provide explanatory "guidelines" for how we interpret all incoming new information -- and those categories themselves are sometimes modified BY incoming new information

Scripts

Schema about sequences of events in life (e.g., "what typically happens when you go into a restaurant?")

Self-schemas

mental representations of one's self

Social schemas

Mental representations about a group of people (sociocultural)

Bottom-up processing

Level of information processing focused on basic incoming sensory information (e.g., with visual information = processing focused on color, shape, movement, etc.)

Top-down processing

Level of information processing where already-stored information and schemata help interpret incoming information

Assimilation

When new information is fit into our existing schemata

Accomodation

When existing schemata are modified, or brand-new schemata are developed, to make room for new information

Darley & Gross (1983)

Researchers showed participants videos of a girl playing a poor environment and a wealthy environment -- participants asked to judge the future of the girl, said the 'wealthy' girl would have a better future -- shows impact of schema, how humans actively process information based on a few details to form an overall impression which may not be completely correct

Memory

The persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information that has previously been encoded

Encoding

the inital getting of information into the brain

Storage

the retention of information over time

Retrieval

the ability to take information back out of storage

Multi-Store Model of Memory

Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968

Describes the processes of sensory, short term, and long term memory, and how encoding, storage, and loss of information occurs at each stage

Sensory memory (according to Multi Store Model)

Visual and auditory memories lasting for split-second; if attention isn't paid, no encoding = information lost

Short-term memory (according to Multi Store Model)

Memory of roughly 10-30 seconds, capacity roughly 7 items; if not repeated/rehearsed, information lost

Long-term memory (according to Multi Store Model)

Long-term memory store of virtually limitless size; information can be lost over time if not used, due to degeneration of neural connections

rehearsal

conscious repetition of information, to hold it in short-term memory and to encode into long-term memory

Primacy effect

When given a list of items, we tend to better remember the items at the beginning, as opposed to those in the middle -- supports MSM concept of short-term memory

Recency effect

When given a list of items, we tend to better remember the items near the end, as opposed to those in the middle -- supports MSM concept of short-term memory

Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)

Participants heard a list of items read to them; then, immediately had to recall as many as possible in any order -- participants best recalled words from the beginning of the list and the end of the list --

if participants given a "filler task" just after hearing the last words, the primacy effect disappeared, but the recency effect remained -- supports idea of multiple memory stores (STM vs. LTM)

Clive Wearing case study

Musician who contracted viral encephalitis - MRI scans show his hippocampus was damaged severely -- his newly-created "memories" last somewhere between 7 to 30 seconds, then vanish - so, he seems clearly to still have perfect short-term memory (STM) -- but can't more deeply encode the information, such that it enters into long-term memory (LTM) -- BUT - he still has some LTM - still has some episodic, semantic, and procedural memory -- WALKING EVIDENCE THAT STM AND LTM ARE DIFFERENT STORES OF MEMORY

semantic memory

memory of facts

episodic memory

memory of events

procedural memory

non-conscious memory of how to do behaviours

Reconstructive nature of memory

the mind actively re-creates memories from stored bits of information each time we "remember" something - and at times, it does so inaccurately and/or with "gaps"

How schema impact what we remember

We encode what we pay attention to - and what we pay attention to is determined by our existing schema, which based on our life experiences tell us "what's important"

Self-serving bias

When memory is distorted/recalled inaccurately subconsciously by the need to protect our self-esteem

Misinformation effect

intentionally incorporating misleading information into a person's memory; leads to memory errors

Impact of stress on memory

Seems to HELP us to encode the "gist/main point" of a situation, but also HINDERS ability to recall accompanying smaller details