CH8 MEMORY Memory learning that has persisted over time information that has been stored and can be retrieved recall retrieving information that is not currently in your conscious awareness but that was learned at an earlier time o A fill in the blank question tests your recall recognition identifying items previously learned o A multiple choice question tests your recognition relearning learning something more quickly when you learn it a second or later time o When you study for a final exam you will relearn the material more easily than you did initially Psychologists create Memory Models to help us think about HOW our brain forms and retrieves memories Information Processing models are analogies that compare human memory to a computer s operations In any event we must get information into our brain encoding retain that information storage later get the information back out retrieval To explain our memory forming process Richard Atkinson Richard Shiffrin proposed the 3 stage model Sensory memory short term long term 1 senses momentarily register detail sensory memory 2 from there we process information into short term memory where we encode it through rehearsal 3 Finally information moves into long term memory for later retrieval other psychologists updated this model to include impt newer concepts working memory and automatic processing WORKING MEMORY a newer understanding of short term memory that focuses on conscious active processing of incoming auditory and visual spatial info and a lot of info retrieved from long term memory Alan Baddeley others challenged Atkinson Shiffrin s view of short term memory as a small brief storage space for recent thoughts and experiences research shows this stage is NOT just a temporary shelf for holding incoming info It is an active desktop where your brain processes information making sense of new input and linking it with long term memories o Determining the meaning of information based on context and experience Central executive Baddeley as you integrate these memory inputs with your existing long term memory your attention is focused This focused processing central executive Without focused attention information fades DUAL TRACK MEMORY EFFORTFUL VS AUTOMATIC PROCESSING Explicit memories declarative memories Attkinson Shiffrin s model facts and experiences that we can consciously know and declare our mind processes explicit memories through conscious effortful processing requires attention and conscious effort Automatic processing OUTSIDE atkinson shiffrin s model unconscious encoding of incidental information such as space time and frequency and of welllearned information such as word meanings happens without our awareness produces implicit memories nondeclarative memories retention independent of conscious recollection this two track memory system reinforces parallel processing splitting information into different components for separate and simultaneous processing Q 2 new concepts that UPDATE the classic Atkinson Shiffrin three stage information processing model 1 We form some memories implicit through automatic processing without our awareness The Atkinson Shiffrin model focused only on conscious explicit memories 2 Working memory emphasizes the active processing that we know takes place in Atkinson Shiffrin s short term memory stage Q 2 basic functions of working memory Active processing of incoming visual and auditory info focusing our spotlight of attention ENCODING AUTOMATIC PROCESSING Automatic processing implicit memories Automatic skills procedural memories Implicit memories formed from automatic processing without awareness include procedural memory for automatic skills ex how to ride a bike classically conditioned associations among stimuli ex feeling fear when stepping into the dentist office WITHOUT conscious effort you also AUTOMATICALLY process information about Space while studying you remember the PLACE on a page the information was on you later visualize where on the page the answer was Time unintentionally noting the sequence of events in a day Retracing your steps Frequency effortlessly keeping track of how many times things happen ex this is the third time I ve run into her today Effortful processing begins with SENSORY MEMORY feeds our active working memory Records a momentary image of a scene echo of a sound Sperling s experiment demonstrates iconic memory fleeting sensory memory momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli photographic memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second Sperling experimented where people viewed 3 rows of 3 letter s each for only 1 20 second after the letters disappeared they could recall only Not because they had insufficient time Sperling demonstrated that people COULD see and recall all the letters but only momentarily Rather then asking about the letters immediately he sounded a high medium or low tone after flashing the letters This tone directed participants to report only the letters of the top middle or bottom row The nine letters were available for momentary recalling Echoic memory momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli If attention is elsewhere sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds Echoes tend to linger for 3 4 seconds Ex what did I just say Oh right CAPACITY OF SHORT TERM AND WORKING MEMORY George Miller short term mem Can retain about 7 pieces of information without active processing that we understand to be a part of the working memory short term memories have a limited life Working memory capacity VARIES depending on age and other factors young adults have more working memory capability greater ability to multi task working memory reflects intelligence level unlike short term memory Effortful Processing strategies Chunking organizing items into familiar manageable units enables us to recall easier Mnemonics memory aids esp those that use vivid imagery and organizational devices Peg word system harnesses our superior visual imagery skill Requires you to memorize a jingle One is a bun two is a shoe three is a tree without much effort you will be able to count by peg words instead of numbers Hierarchies organizing knowledge into hierarchies helps retrieve information efficiently When words are organized into categories the recall is 2 3x better Distributed practice produces better long term recall Spacing effect tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice