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explicit memory
intentional retrieval of memories
implicit memory
procedural memory that alters performance based on previous experiences
how you perform tasks that you do everyday
recall tasks
cued recall- provide specific cues to aid retrieval
-Ex: What is Capital of Romania, it starts with B
free-recall tasks- asked to retrieve information without any additional context for the information
-used for the retrieval of semantic memories
ex: what is the capital of romania
serial recall tasks- requires participants to recall a list of items in a specific order, usually the order in which they were presented
semantic memory
involves general knowledge we have but doesnt contain information about the time and place we learned that knowledge
used by free recall
ex: what is the capital of blank
recognition tasks
do not require you to generate any information but instead asked to verify whether information has been experienced before or
identifying which information has been encoded in the past
ex: when you see a face in a crowd that you have met before
prospective memory
remembering a future task
episodic memory
involves episodes from one’s daily experiences, has contextual info
retrieving is based on whether retrieval task is recall or recognition
Eagle and Leiter (1964) recall and recognition
Conditions: Half of participants were told they needed to remember words for a memory test (intentional learning) other half were given a task to perform on the list of items but werent told about the memory test (incidental learning)
results: recall was higher for intentional learning but recognition was better for items studied in the incidental condition
how implicit memory is measured
measured by the advantage shown for studied items compared with unstudied items
other ways involve conceptual cues (categories or semantic knowledge questions)
prospective memory
remembering to perform a task at some point in the future
ex: stopping at the store to get milk, calling your mom on her birthday, remembering to study for a test
retrieval is from cues in our environment
ex: seeing someone blow out candles on TV reminds you to call your mom
event-based tasks
prospective memory retrieval is from cues in our environment
ex: seeing someone blow out candles on TV reminds you to call your mom
time-based tasks
prospective memory retrieval is from time cues
ex: needing to take medicine at 9 pm, glancing at clock and seeing it is close to 9
interference
occurs when other information prevents the retrieval of the target information
consolidation
neural process by which the memories are strengthened and more permanently stored in the brain
the two types of consolidation
system consolidation: memories are stored in cortical areas of the brain, can take up to months to complete
synaptic consolidation: occurs within/across neurons, individual cells that make up the tissue in the brain, sleep aids in maintaining
why forgetting occurs
interference and the lack of consolidation
autobiographical memory
significant experience that we personally experienced
elaborative encoding
processing the meaning of the information
shallow processing
encoding info according to its surface features
level of processing effect
encoding information according to its meaning aids in long-term memory
spacing effect
an effect showing better memory when information is studied in smaller units over time instead of all at once, as in cramming
Encoding variability theory accounts for the spacing effect by assuming that, as the lag between repetitions increases, the memorial representations approach independence.
primacy effect (serial position effect)
information encoded first shows memory advantage
recency effect (serial position effect)
information encoded last shows a memory advantage
mnemonics
memory techniques that have been used by humans for thousands of years to remember information
bizarreness effect
the human mind notices unusual things, and some types of mnemonics use this to help your remember
method of loci
uses images and known locations to remember items
testing effect
reviewing information by means of a retrieval task aids later retrieval
two ways of using the testing effect
mixing topics (e.g. if studying for multiple exams take turns in one study session)
explanatory questioning (elaborative interrogation and self-explanation) (most effective)
encoding specificity
matching the circumstances of encoding and retrieval memory aids
can involve: stimuli in the environment, ones mood, thoughts about the info, physiological state, processing state
transfer-appropriate processing
an effect in memory showing that matches in processing between encoding and retrieval improve memory
Ebbinghaus forgetting curve
people tend to continually halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they actively review the learned material
availability
whether or not a memory is stored
accessibility
whether or not a memory can be successfully retrieved
reasons for retrieval failure
lack of consolidation, decay, interference, ineffective retrieval cue
synaptic consolidation
involves structural changes at synapses
the process by which these connections, or synapses, become stronger over time. It's like reinforcing the pathways between neurons so that the memory becomes more stable and less likely to be forgotten.
basically the process of strengthening the connections between neurons to solidify memories in your brain, making them more resistant to forgetting
system consolidation
involves the gradual reorganization of neural circuits
the process by which memories transition from temporary storage to more permanent storage areas in the brain, making them easier to access and less likely to be forgotten, much like saving and organizing files on a computer's hard drive.
levels of processing
the depth/level of processing impacts memory retention rather than the duration of repetition of exposure
deep processing leads to better memory than shallow
intentional vs incidental learning
asking a teacher a specific question vs refers to the process of acquiring new knowledge or information without intention, often through exposure to various media such as cartoons and films (wouldve happened with or without care)
encoding specificity principle
a memory theory within psychology that suggests that the environment or context in which information is encoded will affect how well people remember that information during retrieval
testing effect
suggests long-term memory is increased when part of the learning period is devoted to retrieving information from memory
generation effect
refers to finding that subjects who generate information remember the information better than they do material that they simply read
state-dependent learning
if individuals learn particular materials in one state (e.g., after having consumed a particular drug), then later recall will be better if they return to that same state
environmental context effect
describes the influence of environmental factors on one's perception of a stimulus. The impact of context effects is considered to be part of top-down design.
the seven sins of memory
written by Daniel Schacter
outlines seven memory failures that occur in individuals with normal memory abilities
describes these “sins” of memory as by products of the way memory functions and typical of everyone to varying degrees
transcience
first sin
term for normal forgetting of information over time
most information is forgotten very quickly after its encoded but over time, less and less information is forgotten
active processes of interference and interrupted consolidation seem to contribute to most forgetting
absentmindedness
second sin (error)
a lack of attention during encoding or retrieval result in poor memory
failure of prospective memory (remembering to do a future task)
blocking/ tip of the tongue
third sin (error)
an experience of knowing that you know info but being unable to retrieve it
retrieval suppression or the think/no think paradigm
happens most often with names or unusual words
source misattribution
fourth sin (error)
phenomena when we remember learning something from a different source than from the one we actually learned it from
false recall, false recognition, studies on deja vu
suggestibility
fifth sin (error)
others suggestions and statements can alter our memories for events in ways we do not even realize, resulting in the alteration of actual memories and the creation of false memories for events we never even experienced
hearing about.and imagining an event multiple times can create a memories for the event that seems as real to us as something we experienced
bias
sixth sin (error)
occurs when our current experiences or knowledge alter our memory of a past experience
our current experiences and knowledge bias the ways we remember past experiences
consistency bias and false recollection
persistence
seventh sin (error)
experiencing unwanted memories over and over
issue because it is disruptive
(PTSD)
the reconstructive nature of memory
we dont record and store all aspects of our experiences together, instead we encode and store the pieces of an experience (sights, sounds, scents) and attempt to put the correct pieces back together when we retrieve our memory of the experience
this process occurs automatically w/o awareness
Bartlett’s Studies
conducted studies on ppl’s abilities to reproduce simple stories, passages and figures
was interested in the accuracy of reproduction of the text or figures over time and the types of errors participants made
when ppl made errors in the stories they tended to be consistent with their cultural biases
showed that the ppl relied on their own experiences and knowledge to fill in the details based on their general memory of the events, instead of remembering the details of these events
schema
general knowledge structure for an event/situation
Brewer and Treyens (1981)
showed that our memory lies on schemas with an experimental task
scripts
provide general structure for a familiar event but they involve an ordered set of actions that one holds in memory
sometimes used in routine procedures
ex: script for going out to a restaurant
Bransford and Johnson (1973)
gave participants a passage to read and remember
participants remembered about 15-23% of the ideas when no topic was given to them prior to reading the passage
when participants were told ahead of time that it was about a topic they remembered 32-40% of the ideas
the effects of the participants knowledge had the most influence during encoding while the passage was first read
memory errors in the laboratory
memory researchers have conducted studies on how memory errors are created and ways to reduce the errors in situations where accurate memory is important
the DRM procedure
Roediger, McDermott, and Deese published a study on false memories
asked ppl see or hear a list of words that are all related to a single theme; however, the word that names the theme is not itself included
people are very likely to remember later that the theme word was presented - likely relying on that schema
Suggested that two important processes are at play: spreading of activation of related items in memory/activation monitoring theory (sleep schema is activated, then activation spreads to other related concepts in the network
Researchers using tis have discovered that electrophysical brain activity is similar for false memories and for true ones.
spreading activation
when a concept or schema becomes activated, that activation then spreads to other related concepts in the network
source monitoring
helps us accurately identify studied list items
when we attempt to recall/recognize items, we consider whether a generated (in recall) or presented (in recognition) item was actually studied in the list
we try to determine the source of the item to decide if it was studied or not
when we monitor the source for the theme items that werent studied, source misattribution can occur, allowing us to believe the item was studied along with the related list items
post-event misinformation effect
when a person's recall of episodic memories becomes less accurate
changes their memory of the event to create memory errors
Loftus & Palmer (1974)
how changing verbs/words in sentences affects memory
asked a question different way using different words yielding in stronger responses of false memories (suggestive questioning)
suggestive questioning
question posed to a witness in such a way that leads them to a specific answer, which can lead to an alteration of their memory for an event
Loftus et al (1978)
stop sign study
asked 2 different questions
experimental: yield sign 40% correct
control: traffic sign 75% correct
shows the misinformation effect/memory trace replacement/source monitoring error/retroactive interference
false negative/positive in eyewitness identification
person was guilty but witness failed to identify them or person was innocent but wrongly accused
possible reasons for errors
encoding factors, misattributed familiarity, post identification feedback
false memory
memory about something that didnt happen
Loftus & Pickrell 1995
Lost in shopping mall “your parents told me when you were 5 years old….”
(false memory) trying to convince you that something happened
3 true events + 1 false events
6 out of 24 participants claimed that they remembered the fictitious event
cognitive interview
helped police question witnesses in a way that limits suggestibility and misleading information, which increases accurate witness retrieval of event details
relies on 4 techniques designed to enhance retrieval of the details of an event
(1) the original context is reinstated in the witness’ mind (2) the witness reports everything they remember even if its incomplete to allow for retrieval of info a witness may have less confidence in (3) the witness takes different perspectives of the event in their retrieval and (4) the witness receives events in different temporal orders
retrograde amnesia
loss of memory for events that occurred before the brain damage
affects episodic memory but not semantic
anterograde amnesia
affects memory of events after damage
(affected H.M)
episodic memory is affected/damage (memory deficit)
Clive Wearing
man with 7 sec memory
Patient H.M
removed/ damaged hippocampus
amnesic syndrome
loss of memories like facts, information and experiences
STM is fine
Alzheimer’s disease
progressive amnesia
impairs episodic and semantic memory
impairs performance on implicit memory tasks
structure of language
form (phonology and orthography), meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and use (pragmatics)
phonemes
5 distinct sound units, two vowels and three consonants
different languages are made up of different sets of these
orthography and phonology
the basic elements of sounds of a language, sounds are made up of vibrations in the air that we hear
the basic visual elements of letters that make up a written language
morpheme
smallest unit of language that conveys meaning in spoken language or grammatical properties in written language
ex: cow (1) and cows (2) or textbook/football (2)
can stand alone (free) or must be attached to others
an added one may change the meaning or syntactic class (noun or verb)
syntax
corresponds to the grammatical rules for how we order the words and phrases of our sentences
ex: “man bites dog”, “dog bites man” (2 diff meanings)
structure specifies how words are related, not by meaning but by the grammatical properties (nouns and verbs) of the words
semantics
the aspect of language related to meaning
however, not all meaning comes from the semantics of the words, some meaning comes from how we use those words
pragmatics
use of language within particular context
includes sentence meaning or producer meaning (what the producer intended to communicate)
coarticulation
sounds that make up phonemes and words often overlap
categorical perception
speech is perceived as discrete categories , our perceptual processes become attuned to the different phonemes in spoken languages
word superiority effect
letters are easier to identify in the context of words
we also use top-down contextual information to help us interpret incoming languages
phoneme restoration effect
use their knowledge of the word to “fill in” the missing input (aka top-down processing)
mental lexicon
collection of the representations of these words in our long-term memory
explanations of both the word superiority effect and the phoneme restoration effect rely on having mental representations of the word
organized along many dimensions
more frequently a word is used the faster it is recognized
priming
words may be “primed” by other words
people recognize a string of letters as a real word faster if it is preceded by a semantically related word compared to an unrelated word
syntactic parsing
building the syntactic structure is part of the process that explains how a sentence is understood
deep and surface structure
derived from phrase structure rules and the linear order that is produced
transformations of the deep structure result in the final surface structure
two general approaches to syntactic processing
syntax-first approach: syntactic information alone is used to construct one syntactic structure based on a set of parsing principles (i.e simpler structures are preferred over complex ones)
interactive approach: syntactic information is used in conjunction with other sources of information to build the initial syntactic structure
Arnold et. al (2000)
anaphoric inferences
using a pronoun to refer back to something (or someone) in another sentence
its one way in which we use inferences to bind sentences together into cohesive texts aka they allow us to make sense of what we are reading from one sentence to the next is described as discourse
mental model or a situational model
a mental representation of the current interpretation which may or may not be influenced by inferences drawn from a script or schema
representations of what the text is about
paradox of language
the purpose of producing an utterance is to convey meaning, the mistakes we make when speaking often shows disruptions in meaning but appear to obey the rules of syntax and phonology
tip of the tongue state
a situation where you have accessed the semantic and syntactic representations of a word but not the phonological form of the word
the perceptual loop
we use our comprehension system to monitor our ongoing productions not only after we have said them but also before their actual articulation
(Levelt 1983) even before we articulate our planned utterances, we run our “inner speech plan” through our comprehension system to look for errors so that we can make correction before articulation
the alignment theory
proposes that the goal of a conversation is the alignment of the representations of the producer and comprehender
successful communication involves aligning the phonological, syntactic, semantic, and situational models in both people
occurs through priming