M2L3: Human Memory

Nature of Memory

• memory comes from the latin words ‘memoria’ (mindful) and ‘memor’ (remembering)

• is needed for continuity of consciousness, utilising essential skills, effective planning and performance 

Memory Processes

• 3 Rs → registration, retention, retrieval 

• encoding (registration) → retaining encoded info over a period of time

• storage (retention) → retaining encoded info over a period of time

• retrieval (recall or recognition) → recovery of the stored info at a later occasion

Models of Memory

Atkinson and Shiffrin model

• also known as information processing model and modal model 

• Atkinson and Shiffrin noticed similarities between human memory and computer systems 

• has three stages - sensory memory, short term memory, long term memory 

• sensory memory → keep thinking about a picture after seeing - visual cue that lasts in memory for a certain amount of time

  • any sense organs

  • sensory register - info that is available for a short amount of time

  • info stays for less than a second 

• short term memory → small, simple pieces of information

  • also known as working memory

  • phone numbers are forgotten after dialled

  • can hold 7 to 10 items

  • lasts for 5-10 mins (depending on info)

  • images, sounds, sentences, etc

• long term memory → spectrum of information is varied

  • unlimited capacity

  • can last for years 

  • literature, concepts, etc

Types of Memory 

• implicit memory → also known as unconscious or automatic memory - where tasks can be performed with putting conscious effort into remembering the previous experiences (eg. walking because it doesn’t need to recall past incidents of walking)

  • procedural memory → subtype of implicit memory for tasks where motor skills are required (eg. cycling, as the cyclist doesn’t need to recall the steps to riding each time)

• explicit memory → also known as declarative memory and requires conscious efforts to recall previous experiences and info

  • episodic memory → type of memory that stores info related with events and connections such as personal experiences (eg. classes at specific times, important dates such as birthdays)

  • semantic memory → includes organised knowledge and is general in nature (eg. general knowledge like mt everest is the tallest mountain, sodium chloride is salt)

Forgetting

• Hermann Ebbinghaus - first psychologist to systematically study the nature of forgetting

  • he used CVC trigrams (Consonant Vowel Consonant) to measure forgetting by recording the number of trials a participant took to relearn the same list at varying time intervals 

  • based on this experiment, he said that the rate of forgetting is highest in the first nine hours, particularly the first hour 

  • after that is slows down and not much is forgotten even after many days 

Causes of Forgetting

• trace decay → passive decay or fading of information over a period of time 

  • memory supposedly leads to permanent physical change in our central nervous system 

• interference theory

  • proactive interference → past learned material interferes with recalling new material

  • retroactive interference → new material interfering with recalling past learned material

Techniques of Enhancing Memory

• keyword method

  • using old information to connect with the new information to remember it 

  • eg. VIBGYOR / ROYGBIV for rainbow colours

• method of loci 

  • loci - location of material to be retrieval 

  • with a visual image people can understand layout of houses and buildings, which can be used to link ideas and concepts to recall later

• mnemonics using organisation 

  • organisation - ordering the materials you want to remember in a certain way

  • makes retrieval easy as the retrieval cue is representational of the concept

• chunking 

  • remembering a concept by breaking it down into its smaller parts 

  • eg. remembering the a phone number by remembering it in two sets of of 4 / 5

• minimising interference

  • maximum interference occurs when similar materials are learned in a sequence 

  • distribute learning and practice and take intermittent rest periods

  • randomise subjects and topics so they aren’t related to previous studies 

• give yourself enough retrieval cues

  • identify and link retrieval cues in the study materials 

  • easier to remember than entire content 

  • links between cues and content will facilitate retrieval

• PQRST

  • developed by Thomas and Robinson 

  • preview, question, read, self recitation, test

  • the steps can be repeated to cement the concepts in the memory