Ways That Help Us Encode Information and Context Dependence

Explain the difference between intentional and incidental learning.

How does depth of processing affect each type of learning?

Intentional Learning

• a deliberate effort to learn something, often through focused study

Incidental Learning

• occurs without the intention to learn, typically as a byproduct of other activities.

Depth of Processing

Intentional Learning

• promoting deeper engagement and understanding

Incidental Learning

• can enhance the retention of information encountered during spontaneous or everyday experiences.

For a set of materials that you need to learn, be able to describe (with support from evidence that we’ve discussed in class) several useful ways to effectively encode new information.

1. imagery

2. organization

3. generation

4. self-reference

5. multiple contexts

6. elaboration

Imagery

• to create mental pictures

Organization

• organizing information into categories or hierarchies

Generation

• generating personal connections to the material

Self-Reference

• applying self-reference by relating concepts to one's own life

Multiple Contexts

• experiencing new information across multiple contexts

Elaboration

• expand on ideas for deeper understanding.

Describe how to use a “memory palace” (aka journey method or method of loci) as an effective mnemonic technique.

Memory Palace Technique

• involves visualizing a familiar place and associating specific pieces of information with distinct locations within that space.

By mentally walking through this "palace," individuals can retrieve the information by recalling the locations tied to those memories.

What are some contributing factors that make spaced learning of material better than massed learning of material?

Describe an example of these effects.

Spaced Learning Over Massed Learning

• spaced learning promotes better retention of information due to the distributed practice effect, allowing for consolidation of knowledge over time.

Example

• studying vocabulary in shorter, spaced sessions rather than cramming all at once, which can lead to long-term memory benefits.

Describe an example of these effects related to context dependence.

1. environment

2. internal state

3. task

Environment

• recall is improved when the study environment matches the testing environment

• studying in a quiet library and then taking the exam in a classroom.

Internal State

• information learned while in a specific emotional or physiological state (like relaxed or caffeinated) is more easily remembered when in the same state during recall.

Task

• performing the same type of task during studying and retrieval can facilitate better memory performance.

Should you learn by studying and testing in the same context?

Why or why not?

What are the short term vs. long term consequences?

How does this relate to retrieval cues?

Same Context?

• learning in the same context can enhance recall due to context-dependent memory effects

Short-Term vs. Long-Term

• in the short term, this approach may improve performance on tests given in the same environment

• in the long term, varying contexts for study can promote more robust learning by encouraging deeper encoding and flexibility of retrieval cues.