(10/2) LTM: Encoding & Retrieval pt. 2

Encoding specificity principle

a cue is effective only to the degree that the aspects of that cue were encoded and stored during study

• this included contextual info (external) and state dependent info (internal)

• three types

  • context-dependent memory

  • state-dependent memory

  • mood-dependent memory

What was the significance of Light & Cater-Sobell (1970)

subjects were asked to remember bold words in various sentences

• “the raspberry jam tastes great”

recognition test where a probe word was given as a form of cued recall

• “traffic” — jam → poor recognition

support for encoding specificity principle

What was the significance of Godden & Baddeley

subjects learned words associated w/ “water” learned those words better underwater

showed evidence of Context-dependent memory

What was the significance of Grant et al

showed evidence of Context-dependent memory

What was the significance of Goodwin et al.

showed support for state dependent memory

study sober → do better sober

study intoxicated → do “better” intoxicated

study sober → do worse intoxicated (& vice versa)

Emotion & memory

ppl show better memory for emotionally intense (negative) info

more brain regions are active during the encoding of emotional material

Pollyanna Principle

memories are not always remembered better for emotionally negative info

Survival & memory

people show superior memory for info if people encode it based on its survival value

we may have some intrinsic bias to process some info better than other info