Lecture Guide Chapter 6 Memory Based on the text PsycSmart McGraw Hill 2013 Gen Psych F12 Memory An active mental system ability that allows us to put away info for later Processes steps of Memory receive from the senses world Encoding put in for short or long term use Storage hold Retrieval get out Models of Memory Information processing model assumes processing of info for memory Storage similar to a computer Levels of processing model assumes info that is more deeply processed processed according to meaning will be remembered more efficiently longer Explains why multi tasking isn t very effective Doing 2 things at once means you re not doing either very deeply and will hurt you in the long run Other models exist too Which is right They all have value 2 models aren t even in direct competition with each other Information Processing Model 3 stages 1 Sensory memory Very first stage Where info enters the nervous system through the senses Lasts generally only a second or so w o some sort of processing then it will be lost 2 Short term memory STM working memory where info is held while it is being used Selective attention ability to focus on one stimulus from all sensory input moves info from sensory memory to Short Term Memory STM 1 How big is STM Capacity of STM 7 items 2 items Chunking bits of info combined into meaningful units chunks so more info can be held in STM phone numbers chunked 3 3 4 Words in sentences are easier to remember than random words How long does it last Duration of STM about 12 30 seconds w o rehearsal Maintenance rehearsal say info over over in head to keep it in STM or LTM STM s tend to be encoded in auditory form STM susceptible to interference Interference If someone interrupts you while you re repeating in your head then you usually have to start over again 3 Long term memory LTM used to keep info permanently Elaborative rehearsal get from STM into LTM by making info meaningful Make connections to other things you know 2 Types of LTM 1 Procedural non declarative memory Motor skills habits classically conditioned reflexes skills things people know how to do emotional associations habits and simple conditioned reflexes Aka implicit memory not easily brought into awareness find it difficult to describe how to ride a bike or tie a shoe but it s easy to do the action Interestingly Anterograde amnesia Inability to form new declarative LTMs generally does NOT affect procedural LTM can gain new skills but not new facts 2 Declarative memory consciously known things people know facts aka explicit memory Two types Semantic memory general knowledge Knowledge of language info learned in formal education etc 2 Episodic memory Personal info not readily available to others daily activities and events Two types of Remembering Recall and Recognition 1 Recall pull info from memory with few external cues With recall memory you have to produce the answer basically from scratch short answer essay no hints at what the answer should be Retrieval failure recall has failed Ex draw a blank tip of the tongue phenomenon if just relax then you can remember Serial position effect remember beginning and sometimes the end better than middle Primacy effect remember info at beginning better Recency effect remember info at end better If delayed for 30 seconds then this effect goes away Summary Ask right away remember beginning end better primacy recency Ask after 30 seconds delay just remember beginning better primacy Why Maintenance rehearsal of beginning of list not as much rehearsal for middle words recency is in short term memory only lasts about 30 sec 2 Recognition match piece of info to a stored image fact Don t have to produce it only have to match with info already in memory Ex Multiple choice fill in with word bank true false Retrieval failure don t recognize something you should False positive recognize something you shouldn t Cues to Help Remember Retrieval cue trigger for remembering can be anything why elaborative rehearsal is recommended when studying Encoding specificity remember info better if info available when memory was formed is also available at retrieval State dependent learning memories formed during a particular physiological or psychological state will be easier to recall while in a similar state 3 Automatic Encoding and Flashbulb Memories Automatic encoding certain kinds of info seem to enter the LTM with little or no effort Flashbulb memories type of automatic encoding Occurs when an unexpected event has a strong emotional associations Can be a world event a personal event can be positive or negative feels frozen in time feels accurate But is vulnerable to deterioration like all our memories Eyewitness Testimony Elizabeth Loftus study What you see and hear after the fact can easily affect the accuracy of memories of the event Not nearly as accurate as people believe info introduced later can affect memories Eyewitness testimony not always reliable When is it more reliable ages young kids are easy to manipulate elderly have more deterioration no leading use free recall better response if asked open ended questions sooner less time for distortion hypnosis Likely to give more answers but not all accurate Confidence Not related to accuracy How LTMs Are Retrieved implications for accuracy Constructive processing refers to fact that memories can be altered revised or influenced by newer info during retrieval Generally happens w o us knowing it Memory Retrieval Problems Misinformation effect misleading info presented after an even alters memories of event False memory syndrome creation of inaccurate or false memories through the suggestion of others often while under hypnosis Extreme case of the misinformation effect Is it possible to create false memories YES Is it possible to repress real memories YES Forgetting unable to access memory of something Studied by Ebbinghaus Curve of forgetting We forget most things right away then forgetting slows down 4 Distributed practice effect spreading out practice procedures leads to better retrieval than massed practice If you study for an hour a day for 4 days you ll remember more than if you study it all in 4 hours Forgetting Four Types 1 Encoding failure failure to process info into memory sometimes deliberate conserve resources Mind takes short cuts whenever it can don t need to remember what a penny looks like just need to tell it apart from a nickel 2 Decay loss over time because trace not used Memory trace physical
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