EXP3604C Exam 2 Notes9/25Memory has 3 stages: encoding, storage and retrievalRepetition isn’t what leads to encoding (do you remember all the details on a penny?)Length of time studying doesn’t lead to encodingGlenberg experimentHad to study a 4-digit number for 2 secAlso had to rehearse a “distractor” word for either 2, 6 or 8 secAsked to recall the word instead of the numberNo correlation between length of time rehearsing and correct recallAmount of effort taken to study doesn’t work eitherEmotional pleasantness/unpleasantness does!Emotionally significant memories are the clearestPollyanna principle- remember pleasant things betterLevels of processing from low to high: letters/numbers, rhyming, meaningMeaningful thinking and processing does lead to better rememberingTesting yourself on how well you remember something also worksCraik and Lockhart proposed that memory is a byproduct of processingDon’t have to memorize or use a lot of effortShallow processing -> forget, Deeper processing -> remember betterDeeper processing creates distinctiveness between items, making them easier to pick out and recallReduces interference by making them differentElaboration- adding information onto items, making connections and continuing thoughtsAlso works at improving memoryAttention is a huge requirement for memoryHeur and Reisberg experimentHear story of a child who either goes through physical trauma or has a typical dayThose who heard about the trauma remembered the story events 3x betterThe hippocampus (memory) and amygdala (emotions) are right next to each other in the brainCahill experimentWatch 12 video clips, some depict violent crimesViolent crimes remembered betterAmygdala activity -> long-term recallAdaptive memory- considers whether remembering something has evolutionary or survival valueInfo that would increase survival > emotionally pleasant info > other infoFlashbulb memory- very emotional events are burned into the brainHowever, memories change over timeAt first will focus on the most intense parts of an eventLater the intensity fades and will remember different thingsTypes of long-term memoryEpisodic- eventsSemantic- factsProcedural- how to perform a taskMemory can be strengthened by self-referencingThere are also different memory techniquesSpacing- studying for a little bit then taking a break before continuingMnemonics- make a word or sentence out of letters (ROY G. BIV, order of planets)9/25 cnt’dNarrative method- make a story involving each item or object in orderLoci method- pair each item with a place then imagine travelling to the locations in orderRetrieve- bring out a memoryRecall- bring out a memory with no cuesRecognition- bring out a memory with cues9/27Free recall- have to remember without any cues, hardest retrieval task (short-answer questions)Cue recall- given cues, hints, keywords. Medium difficulty Recognition- have to tell what something is, if it was there or not. Easiest (multiple-choice)Tulving and Pearlstone experimentStudy list of 48 items, which are in 12 categories of 4 words eachSubjects remembered more in cue recall than free recallAvailability- in memory somewhereAccessibility- can be brought out and rememberedRetrieval cues can include context (like when you go into a room and forget what you wanted to do)Entering into old context and retracting previous actions can helpGodden and Baddeley experimentDivers study 20 words either underwater or on landMemory was tested either in same context as before or differentRemembered more if in same context that they studied inStudying in the same context you would be tested in improves memorySimilar tests show the same for arousal or emotional statesMood congruence- remember better if in same mood as encodedDijkstra: being in same body position during studying and testing slightly improves memoryEncoding specificity- unique way that information is encoded into memory with cuesEx: focusing on a specific detail such as heaviness or sound to remember “piano”Memory better if studying with same cues/hints that would be on the testMnemonics can include associating two pieces of information togetherTo remember a face with a name, it helps to find a facial detail that sticks out Pair this detail with an object and create a mental image to remember the person byCues can include any information during encodingEvolution explains forgetting as a survival skillSays we don’t need to remember everything, just what is usefulDoesn’t explain why we forget things that we actually do need to rememberDecay theory- time leads to forgetting. Older memories forgotten more than newer onesNot true. Some older memories last while newer ones fade awayInterference theory- interference causes some memories to fadeProactive interference- new info disrupted with lots of similar past thingsRetroactive interference- old info disrupted with lots of similar new thingsSmith and Moynan experimentHad to study lists of taboo words (cancer, AIDs, curse words)Having to learn lists interferes with memoryFirst-time subjects remember material better than veteran subjectsContext theory- events, location and emotion all affect memory9/27 cnt’dSmith experimentStudy words in one contextWhen remembering, either kept in same context, switched, or asked to imagine old contextThose who imagined old context did almost as well as those who were actually in itSahakyan and Kelley experimentStudy words in one context then asked to forget themTold to imagine a different context or think of something elseThis caused subjects to forget10/2Sir Frederic Bartlett: remembering is like problem-solvingConstruct a memory during encoding, then add to the eventReconstruct memory during retrievalWhen remembering something, the gist of things tends to stay the sameOmission errors- forgetting minor detailsNormalization errors- adding additional info to make the material “make sense”Schema- organized knowledge of the worldScript- type of schema, describes correct sequence for something (how to dine at a restaurant, etc)Brewer and Treyens memory taskLook at a picture of an office and unknowingly encode itLater “remembered” objects that weren’t there“Remembered” them based on what they expected to find in a typical officeAnderson and Pichert experimentHad to roleplay as either a homebuyer or burglarRead story describing details of a housePerspective affects how info is rememberedScript structure captures general info on routine or typical
View Full Document
Unlocking...