Memory

memory

persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of info

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

encoding

process of putting things into memory

storage

where the memory is created, the actual memory

retrieval

getting things out of your memory

sensory memory

brief memory for sensory experiences

senses momentarily register detail

seeing 1000 people, but not many of the 1000 people will progress to short term memory

short term memory

• 7 ish seconds long

• few items are both noticed and encoded

long term memory

• anything longer than 7 seconds

• some items are altered or lost

• any true memory you have

automatic processing

• not on purpose

• vast majority of things in memory

• memory for autobiographical experiences

  e.g: birthdays, holidays, etc.

effortful processing

purposefully putting things into your memory (e.g: studying)

rehearsal

the conscious repetition of info, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage

Hermann Ebbinghaus

found that the more times he practiced a list of nonsense syllables on day 1, the fewer repetitions he required to relearn it on day 2

the more time we spend on learning novel info, the more we retain it

spacing effect

tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

visual encoding

what smth looks like

image of a person

acoustic encoding

what smth sounds like

sound of a person’s voice

semantic encoding

meaning of what the person is saying

ideal way

putting info into memory based on meaning (connections, relatability, US history is easier bc we have some context)

self reference effect

being able to recall info that relates to ourselves more than info that relates to others

mneumonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

iconic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photograph or picture- image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

echoic memory

momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds

the magic number seven, plus or minus 2

there are limits on how many new items we can introduce at any one time to our short term memory and that the limiting number is “7, + or - 2”

long term potentiation (LTP)

an increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation

believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory

amnesia

memory loss

Implicit (procedural) memory

the ‘doing’- demonstrating explicit memory

e.g:riding a bike, you don’t need any conscious knowledge, it just comes naturally after learning it once

explicit (declarative) memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare

hippocampus

neural center located in limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage

cerebellum

little brain— voluntary movement and balance

brain stem is a part of the cerebellum, so if you cut the cerebellum then connection is lost

amygdala

limbic system, linked to aggression and fear

amygdala damage— don’t learn fear conditioning

recall

measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple choice test

relearning

a memory measure that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

retrieval cues

provide reminder of info we otherwise couldn’t recall

e.g: photographs provide you with the cue of classmates names

• priming, context effects, deja vu, mood congruent memory

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

e.g: you show someone the color yellow and they think of lemons more quickly than some other random thing

context effects

you remember things better when you are in the location the memories occured in

deja vu

that eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before”

cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience

mood congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent w/one’s current good or bad mood

Daniel Schachter

came up w/seven ways our memories fail us

seven sins of memory!

absent mindedness (7 sins)

inattention to details produces encoding failure

e.g: our mind is elsewhere as we lay down the car keys

Transcience (7 sins)

storage decay over time (unused info fades)

Blocking (7 sins)

inaccessibility of stored info

e.g: “tip of tongue”

Misattribution (7 sins)

confusing the source of info

e.g: remembering a movie scene as an actual happening

suggestibility

lingering effects of misinformation

e.g: earthquakes are candy, so you’ll always associate gummies w/EQ’s

bias

belief- colored recollections (someone’s current feelings toward their fiance may color their recalled initial feelings)

persistence

unwanted memories

e.g: being haunted by images of a SA

encoding failure

• brain cannot create a memory link

• insufficient encoding of the info for storage in long term memory

storage decay

affects short memory and sensory memory

info stored in brain gradually fades away

retrieval failure

info is in long term memory but can’t be accessed

this is b/c retrieval cues are not present

proactive interference

disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new info

retroactive interference

disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old info

repression

the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety- arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

Elizabeth Loftus

showed how eyewitnesses reconstruct their memories when questioned

e.g: how fast were the cars going when they were SMASHED vs. HIT each other

Misinformation effect

after exposure to subtle’s misinfo, many ppl misremember things

source amnesia

heart of many false memories

attributing to the wrong source an event that we have experienced, heard abt, read abt, or imagined

episodic memory

recollection of specific events, usually one’s personal experiences

retrograde amnesia

the inability to recall memories from before the onset of the amnesia

• no old memories

anterograde amnesia

can’t form new memories

recency effect

the concept that a person has an enhanced recall of items at the end of a list of words