Memory | Chapter 6

PY201 chapter 6

Memory

• our ability to store and retrieve information

• the basic for knowledge

  • knowing friends

  • knowing language

  • knowing ourselves

Three Stages of Memory

• Encoding

  • inputting information into memory storage

• Storage

  • the process of retaining information in memory

• Retrieval

  • accessing stored information

Three Types of Encoding

• Acoustically

  • encoding by forming recognizable sounds

• Visually

  • encoding by making a mental picture

• Semantically

  • encoding by meaning

Three Kinds of Storage

• Sensory memory

  • brief sensory impressions

• Short-term memory

  • retains and processes information for about 30 seconds

• Long term memory

  • retains information for long periods of time, beyond that of short-term memory

Retrieval

• We cannot retrieve information that was never stored

• Claims

  • Forgetting is the failure to access stored information

  • This could happen due to (1) encoding failure or (2) retrieval cues

• Retrival Process

  • Recall

  • Recognition

Semantic Network Model

• Claims

  • information is retained within networks of interlinking concepts

  • we understand the meaning of information by linking it to related things

  • retrieval is facilitated by spreading activation - the rippling effect of remembering one concept from another

Retrieval Cues

• Associations that help bring memories into awareness

• Facilitators

  • Chunking

    • storing large amounts of information by breaking it down into smaller bits of information

      • Example: Instead of remembering the last 4 digits of your phone number as 4 separate pieces of information, you might encode them as 2 whole numbers

  • Context Effects

    • we recall better when in the same environment where encoding took place

Amnesia

• There are two kinds of Memory Loss

  • Retrograde Amnesia

    • loss of memory of past events

  • Anterograde Amnesia

    • inability to form new memories

Constructionist Theory

• Claims

  • memory is not a replica of the past, but a reconstruction or representation of the past

  • We filter or fill in missing information to make memory more coherent

  • Memories are vulnerable to misinformation and distortion

Misinformation Effect

• memory distortion due to misinformation provided during retention

• Elizabeth Loftus studies the effect on eye-witness testimony

Eye-Witness Study

• In one study of the misinformation effect, Dr. Elizabeth Loftus randomly divided participants into two groups: A & B

• Both groups viewed the same car-crash on tape and answered follow-up questions

  • Group A

    • How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?

  • Group B

    • How fast were the cars goign when they smashed into each other?

• The results suggested their memory had been influenced by the framing of the questions

  • Compared to Group A, Group B reported the cars were traveling at a faster speed, on average

  • Compared to Group A, Group B was more likely to report seeing broken glass (of which there was none)

Indicators of Memory Accuracy

• Ease of Recall

  • Hesitation indicates less accuracy

• Degree of Confidence

  • highly confident witness tend to be accurate

• General Knowledge

  • the general knowledge of a subject increases accuracy of memories about that subject

• Types of Questions

  • Avoid subjectivity or leading questions