Notes on Chapter 7: Memory

Focus: Memory
Key Themes: Ebbinghaus's research, types of memory, testing methods, eyewitness reliability, encoding and retrieval, amnesia, and mnemonic devices.

Pioneering Studies: Ebbinghaus studied his own memory using nonsense syllables.
Findings: Observed how longer lists took more time to memorize.
Memory Definition: The retention of information.

Explicit Memory: Direct memory retrieval.
- Free Recall: Producing a response without cues (e.g., essay questions).
- Cued Recall: Recalling with hints.
- Recognition: Identifying the correct answer among options.
- Savings Method: Comparing original learning speed to relearning speed.
Implicit Memory: Indirect memory influences behavior unconsciously (e.g., priming effect).
Procedural vs. Declarative Memories:
- Procedural: Knowledge of how to do things (habits learned gradually).
- Declarative: Facts and events we can verbalize (remembered all at once).

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Memory:
- Short-Term: Temporary storage for recent experiences.
- Long-Term: More permanent storage; includes semantic memory (facts) and episodic memory (personal events).
Working Memory: System for processing current information; involves executive functioning.
Capacity and Decay:
- Short-term memory is limited in capacity; techniques like chunking can help.
- Long-term memory can interfere and decay over time without recall.

Study Techniques:
- Varied Study Conditions: Improves retention; avoid cramming.
- Note-taking: Encourages attention and aids later review.
- Testing: Self-testing improves overall retention.

Definition: Memory aids based on unique encoding methods.
Examples:
- Acronyms (e.g., BRISTLE for vows).
- Method of Loci: Associating locations with items to remember.

Factors Influencing Accuracy:
- Timing of interviews and type of questions.
- Use caution with suggestive questioning and repetitiveness.

Reconstructing Events:
- Memory is not perfect; individuals may fill in gaps with expectations.
- Hindsight bias can reshape recollection to fit outcomes.

Types of Interference:
- Proactive: Old information disrupts new memory.
- Retroactive: New information disrupts retrieval of old memory.
Amnesia: Loss of memory, impacted by brain damage particularly in the hippocampus (e.g., anterograde vs. retrograde amnesia).

Alzheimer’s Disease: Affects memory retention, especially long-term declarative memories.
Early Childhood Amnesia: Difficulty recalling events from early childhood due to rapid neuro-development affecting memory formation and retrieval.

Importance of Topics: Understanding different types of memory and processes helps in enhancing memory retention.
Questions to Consider:
- What methods effectively strengthen memory?
- How accuracy varies between memories of similar events?
Key Takeaways: Memory is complex, involving processes like encoding, storage, and retrieval; it is prone to errors and reconstruction.