PSYC 1315 1st Edition Lecture 16 Outline of Last Lecture I Memory II Encoding III Storage Outline of Current Lecture I Memory Organization II Karl Lashey s search for the engram III Learning mechanisms of invertebrate animals IV Memory retrieval V Memory recall and recognition VI Forgetting VII Prospective memory VIII Amnesia Current Lecture I Memory Organization a How do we organize memories b Schemas refers to a preexisting mental concept or framework that helps people to organize and interpret information i Memories are large structures ii Ex restaurant etiquette iii Ex say the alphabet backwards These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute II III IV V c Connectionism or parallel distributed processing is a theory that memory is stored throughout the brain in connection among neurons several of which may work together to process a single memory i Accounts for the physical properties of the brain ii Memories are electrical impulses that are organized by neurons and their connections iii Memories involve a specific set or circuits of neurons nodes Karl Lashley s Search for the Engram a Engram Physical representation of learning b Karl Lashley s work on learning after cortical lesions led him to propose two principles about the nervous system i Equipotentiality All parts of the cortex contribute equally to complex behaviors like learning any part of the cortex can substitute for any other All cortical areas can substitute for each other as far as learning is concerned ii Mass action The cortex works as a whole and the more cortex the better c The reduction in learning is proportional to the amount of tissue destroyed and the more complex the learning task the more disruptive lesions are Karl Lashley believed that a the cerebral cortex was the best place to search for an engram b all kinds of memory are physiologically the same c Richard F Thompson located an engram of memory in the cerebellum i Lateral interpositus nucleus LIP involved in motor execution of distal muscles Damage to this area of the cerebellum leads to permanent loss of a classically conditioned eye blink response in rabbits ii Used GABA antagonist to lesion Learning Mechanisms of Invertebrate Animals a Invertebrate animals are animals that do not have a spinal cord They have fewer neurons which are large and easy to study i A common type of invertebrate animal used for synapse research is call an Aplysia a type of slug 1 Investigate the withdrawal response of Aplysia Memory Recall Recognition a Occurs when information that was retained in memory comes out of storage b Recall individual has to retrieve previously learned information as on essay exams i Cued recall conscious cued recollection of information from LTM fill in the blank questions c Recognition identifying something previously seen or learned multiple choice questions VI VII i You don t actually have to know the answer to get it right you just have to be able to determine whether a choice looks familiar Serial Position Effect refers to the tendency to recall items at the beginning and end of a list more readily than those in the middle a Comprise of i Primacy effects ii Recency effects b Primacy Effect i Better recall for items at the beginning of a list ii More space in working memory for elaborative rehearsal during encoding leading to improved recall c Recency Effect i Better recall for items at the end of a list ii Items still in working memory iii Items most recently encountered are easy to recall Memory Retrieval a Memory retrieval is influenced by the pattern of information we remember schemas the situations we associate memories and the personal and emotional context b What improves retrieval i Encoding specificity information present at encoding or learning tends to be an effective retrieval cue ii Context dependent memory information is easier to recall when it is encoded and retrieved in the same context iii Mood state congruent memory information is easier to recall when it is encoded and retrieved in the same emotional state iv The same context or emotional state provides retrieval cues which facilitate recollection c Memory Retrieval Special Cases i More emotional memories ii Flashbulb memories refer to the memory of emotionally significant events that people often recall with more accuracy than everyday events 1 Ex 9 11 Attacks iii Traumatic events emotional experiences that involve you on a personal level 1 Ex 27 kids in California kidnapped Poor memory of the event Possibly distort details to reduce anxiety retelling the story on multiple occasions iv Repressed memories refers to motivated forgetting to alleviate pain or anxiety laden memories Works better for adults it is very difficult to repress childhood abuse or trauma v Eye Witness Testimony often poor recall VIII IX X Forgetting Memory Failure a Hermann Ebbinghaus 1950 1909 discovered the theory of encoding failure and interference b Encoding failure occurs when information never enters long term memory i Proactive interference occurs when material that was learned earlier disrupts the recall of material learned later 1 Ex accidentally call your new boyfriend girlfriend by your old bf gf s name ii Retroactive interference occurs when material learned later disrupts the retrieval of information learned earlier retro means back in time 1 Ex new friend Marsha disrupts recall of old friend Martha c Forgetting Retrieval Failure i Decay theory when we learn something new a neurochemical memory trace forms but decays over time without use 1 Does not explain all instances of forgetting 2 Memories may be recalled with proper cues ii Top of the tongue phenomenon 1 Effortful retrieval of known information 2 Can retrieve some information but not all Prospective Memory a Most of this chapter has focused on retrospective memory remembering the past but there is also prospective memory remembering to do something in the future i Involves content what to do and timing when to do it b Time based prospective memory is our intention to engage in a given behavior after a specified amount of time has gone by i Ex call a friend in an hour c Event based prospective memory is our intention to engage in a given behavior after a specified event occurs i Ex roommate gets home from vacation you remember to give her the mail that came during the week for her Amnesia a Anterograde amnesia inability