Cognitive Psych exam 2

3 steps for memory

acquiring, storing, retrieving information

sensory memory (& echoic + iconic)

requires sensory input (ex: hearing a word)

if not paying attention, info is lost

echoic: audio

iconic: visual

how long does short-term memory last?

2-5 seconds

long term memory

kinda permanent

information goes here with enough rehearsal

gets lost if you don’t revisit

working memory (how much can fit)

stage when you pull long term into consciousness

where resouces are being spent

fits 5-9 chunks of information

operation span test

measure memory when its working

reading span: read sentence, aksed “what were the final words”

or math equation: shown equation, then word, then “is equation correct..what was the word”

maintenance vs elaborative rehearsal

maintenance: focusing explicitly on what needs to be remembered - leads to weak memory

elaborative: think about what you’re remembering & their meaning

levels of processing procedure

shown list of words then asked questions about them

• one about its appearance (ex: was it uppercase), one about syntax (does it rhyme with ___), and one about its meaning (is it an animal)

shown another list of words, asked “did you see this word on the first list”

• shallow, moderate, deep (rememebred most words that asked questions requiring deep processing, “meaning” questions)

• incidental learning (didn’t know they’d be tested) had larger difference between groups, but was generally same results as intentional learning (knew they’d be tested)

  • group difference may be due to intentional group employing their own memorization strats

elaborative encoding

making meaningful connections as new info comes in

can be connected to feelings/behaviors

ex: mnemonics

elaborative encoding (2) experiments

exp 1: participants see words, followed by sentence, “does word fit in sentence”

• given surprise memory test - the more complex the sentences, the more likely those words were remembered - complex sentences created connections

• however when given a list of words, participants will assume they have to memorize (not rlly a surprise)

exp 2: had scuba diver engineers learn underwater or on land

• worst to best: LU - UL - LL - UU

  • likely due to negative emotions associated with being underwater while learning “ugh this is so annoying” you have the same thoughts during the test so they serve as a cue

classroom study, state-dependent learning

took group of students, taught them a subject multiple times in a room

• 1 group took test in same room, other group took test in diff room

• group that was tested in same room they learned the info did better

• 3rd group: learned in room 1, tested in room 2, told to think about room 1 before the test

  • did just as good as group 1 who was actually in the testing room

context is PSYCHOLOGICAL

Fisher/Clark study on elaborative encoding

learn 2 words and their connection

• learned connection was either meaningful or sound based

• when trying to recall words later, word 2 was given as a hint

• when hint matched the way info was learned, score was higher

  • highest when meaning & hint were both based on meaning

encoding specificity

what you learn & think about becomes part of the memory

• Ex: remember word “piano”

  • Given sentence, “the man lifted the piano”

    • Hint - “heavy” - you’ll remember piano

  • Given sentence “The man played the piano”

    • Hint - “sound” - you’ll remember piano

  • If hints switched, they wouldn’t work as well cuz they don’t match the sentence