PSYCH 100 Week 8

What is memory?

the capacity to store and receive information in oder to facilitate learning

3 stages of memory

1. Encoding: getting information into memory

2. Storage: keeping information in memory

3. Retrieval: assessing information form memory

2 types of processing

1. Automatic Processing: encoding details like time, space, frequency, and meaning of words (Ex: remembering the last time you studied for a test)

2. Effortful Processing: encoding details that require effort and attention on your part (Ex: remembering the context of what you studied)

The more meaningful the information is for you …..

the better the information is encoded

Levels of Processing range from ____ to _____

Shallow to deep

Name the 3 levels of processing from shallow to deep

Most shallow: visual (surface)

acoustic (sound)

Most deep: semantic (meaning)

Self-referential Encoding

• encoding based on an event’s relation to our self-concept

• leads to enhanced memory for the event

According to the depth of processing principle, what makes a word easy to remember?

Forming associations to the word

For a memory to go into storage it must pass which 3 stages?

1. Sensory memory

2. short term memory

3. long term memory

3 ways to retrieve information

1. recall

2. recognition

3. relearning

Recall and its 2 types

generating remembered information

1. Free recall: no cues to help retrieval (write down every thing you remember)

2. Cued Recall: retrieval cues that help bring the memories back

Recognition

selecting the correct information from an array of options

Relearning

learning the information you previously learned; relearning will be FASTER

Serena is taking an open-ended pop quiz in class. What form of memory process is she using while answering the questions?

Recall

You are trying to remember all the presidents of the US, but to help, someone provides all their first and last initials. What type of memory test is this?

Cued Recall

Your doctor gives you a list of medicine and asks you to check the ones that you have taken. What kind of memory is this?

Free recall

Encoding specificity principle

• remember best when retrieval conditions match encoding conditions

• greater match = better memory

3 types of encoding specificity principles

1. Physical context: better memory when encoding and retrieval context match

2. Physiological state: better memory when a person is in the same state during both encoding and retrieval

3. Mood: better memory when a person is in the same mood during both encoding and retrieval

if you are sad when you study for a test, you are likely to be better at remember the material when you are …

sad

Memory varies in which 2 things?

Capacity: how much info can be held

Duration: how long info can be held

Sensory memory

• holds sensory information for milliseconds to seconds

• big capacity, limited duration

How long do ionic (eye) and echoic (ear) sensory memory last?

ionic: less than 1 sec

echoic: 5-10 sec

Short term memory

• retain info for 15-30 seconds

• holds limited amount of info

• can be forgotten/transferred to long term memory

Types of short term memory methods

• Chunking: organizing information into meaningful “chunks”; digit scan task

  • Phone number

  • Increases short term span

• Rehearsal: maintaining information in STM through mental repetitions

short term memory duration

less than 30 seconds

Working memory

• Enhances the duration of short-term memories and facilitates transfer into long term storage

2 types of rehearsal systems

1. phonological loop: storing sounds, rehearsal, verbal info

2. visa-spatial sketchpad: storing visual info

Central executive function

attention buffer; decides what gets transferred into 2 rehearsal systems

Long term memory

• retaining info for a long amount of time (minutes to decades)

• NO LIMITS in capacity or duration

2 Serial Position Effects

1. Primacy effect: memory for the first items of a list tend to be better

2. Recency effect: memory for the last items of a list tend to be better

• bc still in STM/fresh

What is need to move information from sensory memory to short-term memory?

attention

Ionic memory and echoic memory are part of _____

sensory memory

Which research procedure would give you information about the capacity of a participant’s short term memory?

Digit span task

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