Ch. 6-7 - Long-term Memory; Encoding, Retrieval, Consolidation

declarative (explicit) memory

semantic (memory of facts)

episodic (memory of experiences)

Procedural (implicit) memory

memory of actions or motor tasks

primacy effect

we remember first items better

recency effect

we remember recent items better

Patient HM

had brain damage and was no longer able to form new long-term memories; first evidence of ST and LT differences

Clive Wearing

damage to lobes, anterograde amnesia, no new long-term memory at all

Episodic memory

memory of experiences; tied to specific spatiotemporal context (place and time)

Semantic memory

memory of facts, general knowledge about the world, schemas; not associated with a specific learning context

semanticization of remote memories

memories may start off with episodic details but over time the episode fades and the semantic info remains

encoding

acquiring info and transferring it to LTM

levels of processing theory

memory depends on the depth of processing

shallow processing

little attention to meaning

deep processing

involves attention to meaning and relating item to something else

self-referential encoding

Memory is better if you relate to the thing to be remembered to you

maintenance rehearsal

repetition without any consideration of meaning or making connections to other information

elaborative rehearsal

thinking about the meaning of an item to be remembered or making connections between that item and prior knowledge

interleaved practice

memory is better when you practice different skills and alternate between

retrieval

process of pulling stored long-term info into our short term memories

transfer appropriate processing

matching cognitive task during encoding and retrieval allows better access to stored memories

consolidation

transforming new memories from a fragile state to a more permanent state where they are resistant to disruption

reactivation

hippocampus replaying neural activity associated with memory to strengthen connections between the brain during consolidation

generation effect

Retrieval cues made by self are more helpful than if made by others

reactivation

hippocampus replaying neural activity associated with memory to strengthen connections between the brain during consolidation

multiple trace model

recent and remote memories activate the hippocampus

early consolidation relies on hippocampal communication and it is still active for remote memories

encoding specificity

matching the context of encoding and retrieval will help you better access stored memories

state-dependent learning

matching internal state between encoding and retrieval will help you better access stored memories

transfer appropriate processing

matching cognitive task during encoding and retrieval will help you better access stored memories (studying multiple choice questions for a multiple choice exam)

standard model of consolidation

recent memories involve interactions between cortex and hippocampus and remote memories use the hippocampus less