2 - Memory

Processing

the operations we perform on sensory information in the brain

Input

for human memory, this refers to the sensory information we receive from our enviroment

storage

the retention of information in our memory system

acoustic encoding

the process of storing sound in our memory system

visual encoding

the process of storing something that is seen in our memory system

Semantic Encdoing

the process of storing the meaning of information in our memory system rather than the sound of a word, we store the definition/meaning

output

for memory, this refers to the information we recall, in a broader sense, the output can refer to behavioral response

Retrieval

The recall of stored memories

short-term memory

our initial memory store that is temporary and limited

• lasts about 18 secs without rehearsal

• seven items of info

• acoustic encoding

• forget by displacement or decay

long-term memory

a memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to a lifetime

• lasts a few minutes to a lifetime

• capacity is potentially limitless

• forget by decay, interference or retrieval failure

duration

the length of time that something continues or lasts

capacity

the amount of information that can be stored in STM and LTM

rehearse

when we repeat information over and over again to make it stick

Displacement

when the STM becomes 'full' and new information pusges out older information

Interference

when new information overwrites older information e.g when a new phone number takes the place of an older number in your memory

sensory register

our immediate memory of sensory information

attention

focus on certain sensory information

Trigrams

Sequences of three words e.g GPX

iconic memory

the sensory register for visual information

echoic memory

The sensory register for auditory(sound) information

modality fee

not linked to a specific type of sensory informatio

extraneous variable

variables that could affect the results of a study

mundane realism

a realistic, everyday task

amnesia

memory loss, often through accident, disease or injury

anterograde amnesia

a memory condition that means new long term memories cannot be made; typically caused by injury to the brain

retrograde amnesia

a memory condition that affects recall of memories prior to an injury to the brain

Active reconstruction

memory is not an exact copy of what we experienced, but an interpretation or reconstruction of events that are influenced by our schema (expectation) when we remember them again

Schema

a packet of knowledge about an event or person or place that influences how we perceive or remeebr

ommision

when we leave out unfamiliar. irrelevant or unpleasant details when remembering something

Transformation

when details are changed to make them more familiar and rational

familiarisation

when unfamiliar details are changed to align with our own schema

rationalization

when we add details into our recall to give a reason for something that may not have originally fitted with a schema

cognitive interview

a police interview designed to ensure a witness to a crime does not actually reconstruct their memory

serial reproduction

A technique where participants retell something to another participant to form a chain; this is how folk stories are passed down through cultures.

repeated reproduction

a technique where participants are asked to recall something again and again

Reductionism

the theory of explaining something according to its basic constituent parts

reductionist

approach that seeks to define a complex set of facts by a simpler set of facts

Holism

the theory of explaining something as a whole

holistic

dealing with something as a whole rather than by its individual parts