Psychology of Memory

Memory

Information that has been encoded, stored, and available for retrieval in our brain

Encoding

Process of learning new info to be stored for later

Serial Position Effect

Tendency to remember information that is at the beginning or end of a series

• Primacy - Encoding first items better

• Recency - Encoding last items better

Saliency Effect

Encoding items that stand out (visually or semantically)

Chunking effect

Process of organizing information into meaningful units

Spacing Effect

Ability to retain information better over time

Sensory Memory

Snapshot memory

Short duration; temporary

Very large capacity

Received from senses

Working Memory

Limited capacity; small amount actively held

Highly efficient

Long Term Memory

Unlimited capacity; held for an extended period of time

May include memory decay

Episodic memory

Memory about events in one’s life

Semantic memory

General knowledge about the world

Ex: Facts, concepts, etc.

Autobiographical memory

Memory that only pertains to self

Similar to episodic

Procedural memory

Memory for skills

Motor/task knowledge

Emotional memory

Memory related to a particular emotion

Recognition

Ability to identify an item amongst others

Ex: Multiple choice test

Recall

Ability to retrieve memory using effort

Ex: Fill in the blank test

Priming

Ability to retrieve a specific memory from web of associations

Cue-Dependent retrieval failure

Missing stimuli or cues that were present when memory was encoded

Organic retrieval failure

Physiological damage or dilapidation to the brain

Interference

Learning something new causes competition with older material

May disrupt retrieval of other information

Motivated forgetting

Ability for people to unknowingly revise their memories

Repression

Defense mechanism that bans thoughts, feelings, etc. from reaching the consciousness

Misinformation effect

Incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event