Memory
general term for the storage, retention and recall of events, information and procedures.
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Founder of Memory Studies
memorized nonsense syllables: studied his own ability to memorize new material
Invented over 2300 nonsense syllables and put them into a random list
Von Restorff Effect (MIGHT DELETE)
tendency of people to remember unusual/distinctive items better than more common items is
Recall (free recall)
a memory task in which the individual must reproduce material from memory WITHOUT cue (simple for tester/difficult for person being tested)
Retrieval Cues
Reminders or hints that help us to retrieve information from long-term memory.
Cued Recall
significant hints about the correct answer (exp. fill in the blank test)
Recognition
identify the correct item from a list of choices.
(exp. Multiple-choice tests)
Savings (relearning) method (MIGHT DELETE)
compares the speed which new material is learned to the speed of relearning old material
Explicit Memory
ability to retain info that you’ve put real effort into learning,
Implicit (Indirect) Memory
ability to remember info you did NOT deliberately try to learn
Declarative Memory
ability to state a fact, info, names, dates, faces (Fact memory) It stores why, how, when, where, what, who
Procedural Memory
memory of how to do something (Skills memory)
Semantic
principles of knowledge => stores meaning of words (mental dictionary)
Episodic
Autobio of thoughts => retention of info about what happened to you (events and details of life history)
Sensory Memory
Combination of Memory and Perception; First stage of memory processing
CAPACITY: see or hear at one moment
DURATION: Fraction of a second
Short Term Memory (Working memory)
limited capacity memory of info retained for 20 - 30 seconds
Long Term Memory
relatively permanent storage of mostly meaningful information (exp. birthdays, address, etc)
VULNERABLE: interferences
Chunking
grouping or packing info into units => info more manageable to remember
Mental Operations of Memory
Encoding: transfer of info into your memory (put info in)
Storage: Holding info for later use (filing it away)
Retrieval: Recovering info from storage (finding it)
Primary Effect
Remember the beginning of the list
Recency Effect
remember end of the list
SPAR METHOD
BEST strategy to learn a lot of material: Space out study sessions
study material
wait
return to material and test yourself
Mnemonic Devuces
Short, verbal strategies that improve, and expand our ability to remember new info, a memory aid (mental pictures, acronyms, short verbal strategies, etc)
Method of Loci:
Learn a list of places (desk, door of room, corridor, etc)
Associate names of novel peace prize winner with each place
Reconstruction
remembering an event by starting with details you remember clearly, and fill in gap
Interference
memories block each other
Decay (MIGHT DELETE)
memory is subject to the combined effects of time and
interference
Retroactive Interference
learning new material makes it hard to recall old material
Proactive Interference
learning new material makes it hard to recall old material
Flashbulb Memory
Long lasting deep memories in response to traumatic events
False memory
a report that an individual believes to be a memory but actually never occurred (may/may not be reliable)
Repressed Memory
a memory of a traumatic event that is made unavailable for recall
Anterograde Amnesia
disorder that results in the loss of memory after an injury
Unable to store any new memories
Retrograde Amnesia
disorder that results in the loss of memory prior to an injury
Amnesia
Memory Disorder
brain damage or a traumatic event => severe loss or deterioration of memory
Korsakoff’s syndrome
dementia brought on by deficiency of vitamin B1
related to chronic alcoholism => leads to loss and shrinkage of neurons all over the brain.
Confabulation
wild guessing mixed in with correct information in an
effort to hide memory gaps
similar to a false memory
Dementia
Condition of a slow decline in memory
Alzheimer’s Disease
degenerative brain disease where the brain starts wearing down => memories become difficult to remember over time
Motivated Forgetting
People
unknowingly revise their memories
Repression
A defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings