cogs 9b unit 2: memory pt.1

memory

storage of info in the brain for later use; allows us to learn from our experiences and guide future behavior

encoding

process of taking info from our environment, including our thoughts and feelings, and converting them into memories for storage

storage

maintenance of encoded info in our brains for later access; varies between short and long duration of maintenance

retrieval

occurs when accessing info stored in the brain from past experience

memory adaptation

memory is constructive; we pick out/infer the info most important to us based on our belief of past events and what was most important in those events, which becomes what we remember about those events

multistore model of memory

stages of memory storage differ according to duration and capacity; proposes that info flows from our senses into three levels of memory storage (sensory, short-term, long-term), meaning info from the environment has the potential to become more and more permanent, while losing more and more detail

sensory memory

high capacity but extremely fragile/short-lived; generally lasts for less than a second, with very detailed memories

short-term memory

information from the senses can be held for either a few seconds to a minute, before being stored more permanently or forgotten

long-term memory

information stored for hours to many years, or even potentially for a lifetime; memories have the least amount of detail/vividness

is short-term easier to remember than long-term memory, or vice versa?

no, none are not easier to remember over the other as they are distinct types of memory

iconic memory

form of sensory memory that consists of rapidly decaying visual sensory memory

echoic memory

form of sensory memory that consists of rapidly decaying auditory sensory memory

why does echoic memory last slightly longer in our memory than iconic memory

vision is instantaneous, but hearing occurs overtime

neural persistence

continued neural activity after a stimulus ceases, but rapidly fades; supports sensory memory and contributes to perceptual continuity/permanence

perceptual continuity/permanence

the degree to which objects in motion are perceived as the same object just in a different location, and not as an entirely new object

capacity of short-term memory

~4 items, previously thought to hold 7 plus/minus 2 items

post-categorical

in short-term memory, info is processed to the degree we understand what category of object we’re sensing; holds information on meaning via chunking

chunking

process by which we group stimuli/attributes onto further meaningful wholes/categories, overcoming limited storage by reducing what needs to be stored

working memory

component of short-term memory that allows for both short-term storage and manipulation of information in real time

rehearsal

process of actively maintaining information in working memory

phonological loop

type of rehearsal in which we hold words in short-term memory

visuo-spatial sketchpad

type of rehearsal in which we hold mental imagery of an environment in short-term memory

central executive

control center in the brain that allows one to manipulate info in short-term memory, by engaging regions of the frontal cortex (cognitive tasks/abilities); involved with general intelligence, ability to filter out irrelevant info, emotional responses, etc.

working memory span

capacity of working memory measured by how man items can be juggled and manipulated

serial position curve

graph that shows that the recall of words varies as a function of whether it was studied first, last, or in the middle of a study list; shaped as a smile

primary effect

the tendency to remember words learned first/in the beginning of a study list better, due to increased processing (extra rehearsal, elaboration, etc.) such that fleeting events make it into short-term memory

recency effect

the tendency to remember words learned last/near the end of a study list better, as those words were most recently heard/are still in active short-term working memory

if you have poor long-term memory, are you more likely to lose primary or recency effect?

primary

amnesia

loss of memory due to brain damage or trauma

medial temporal lobe

brain region that contains the hippocampus and amygdala; responsible for converting new experiences into long-term memory, and storing long-term memories

anterograde amnesia

inability/incapacity to form new long-term memories

retrograde amnesia

inability/incapacity to access memory gained before brain damage/trauma, but the ability to form new long-term memories post-trauma is retained

levels of processing

refers to the concept that encoding occurs as an active process, at multiple levels on a continuum from shallow to deep

shallow encoding

encoding based on sensory characteristics (appearance, sound, etc.); maps onto brain regions associated with perceiving sensory info (e.g. occipital lobe)

deep encoding

encoding based on something’s meaning, significance, and/or connections between new and past experiences; maps onto frontal and temporal lobe regions

elaboration

making associations between new and old information already represented in our brains; required for deep encoding

semantic encoding

form of deep-encoding that operates on the meaning of events, and thus yields better memory

self-referential encoding

form of deep-encoding based on an event’s relation to our self-concept, leading to enhanced memory for the event; depends on distinct medial frontal regions of the brain

declarative/explicit memory

type of long-term memory that involves intentional and conscious remembering

nondeclarative/implicit memory

form of long-term memory that occurs without intentional awareness/recollection measured through influence of prior learning on behavior

procedural memory

type of implicit memory related to the acquisition of skills; supported by brain regions important for motor production and coordination

priming

type of implicit memory that is the process in which previous exposure to a stimulus enhances a person’s processing and response to that stimuli when it happens again

affective conditioning

type of implicit memory in which a previously neutral stimulus acquires a positive or negative feeling/value

episodic memory

type of explicit memory that involves the explicit recollection of personal experience that requires piecing together elements of specific place and time (“how you know”); formed by the hippocampus, and is present in other animals

semantic memory

type of explicit memory that supports your knowledge of the world, including concepts and facts (“what you know”); doesn’t require fully intact/functional hippocampus

anterior and lateral temporal lobe

stores our language-based knowledge about the world; essential for functional semantic memory

semantic dementia

loss of memory for meaning in both verbal and non-verbal domains folloiwng progressive neurodegenerative disorders; involves difficulty finding/understanding words, impaired ability to recognize relationships between semantically related, but visually different pictures, and alexithymia

aleixthymia

the inability to read, understand, and label your own feelings

semanticx satiation

process of making a word sound meaningless by repeating it over and over, aka jamais vu (finding the familiar as new)

retrospective memory

involves remembering things we’ve done in the past

prospective memory

involves remembering things we need to do in the future

consolidation

automatic neurobiological process whereby memory storage is stabilized and strengthened, occurring after experiences have passed, to build a stable, enduring memory

why are newer memories are fragile and susceptible to disruption, and thus forgotten about

consolidation takes time, and newer memories are still in the process of being consolidated

when does consolidation work best

during sleep

neural activity during consolidation

when going through some sort of experience, neural activity fires, and will continue to fire long after the experience has already finished, building stronger memory

reconsolidation

reactivation of consolidation of a past memory, making it susceptible to change for your current self’s beliefs, feelings, thoughts, emotions, etc., to update past memories to reflect the present