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Modules 20 22 Memory 02 28 2012 MODULE 20 THE FOUNDATIONS OF MEMORY Memory the process by which we encode store and retrieve information Encode recording information in a form usable to memory Store the maintenance of material saved in memory Retrieve material in memory storage has to be located and brought into awareness 3 system approach to memory sensory memory initial momentary storage of information that lasts only an instant short term memory holds information for 15 25 seconds and stores it according to its meaning rather than as mere sensory stimulation long term memory information is stored in long term memory on a relatively permanent basis although it may be difficult to retrieve Snapshot that stores information which may be visual auditory or other sensory nature for a brief moment in time Each snapshot is destroyed and replaced with a new one unless the information is transferred to another type of memory SENSORY MEMORY SHORT TERM MEMORY Memory store in which information first has meaning Specific amount of information that can be held in short term memory has been identified as 7 chunks Chunks a meaningful grouping of stimuli that can be stored as a unit in short term memory Information in short term memory is lost after 15 25 seconds unless it is transferred to long term memory Rehearsal the repetition of information that has entered short term memory allows for the transfer of information into long term memory Elaborative rehearsal information is considered and organized into some fashion better for memorization Mnemonics formal techniques for organizing information in a way that makes it more likely to be remembered WORKING MEMORY Working memory a set of temporary memory stores that actively manipulate and rehearse information Central executive processor involved in reasoning and decision o Visual store specializes in visual and spatial information o Verbal store holds and manipulates material relating to speech words and numbers o Episodic buffer contains information that represents episodes or events Keeps information in an active state so that we can do something making with it Uses a significant amount of cognitive resources Stress can reduce the effectiveness of working memory by reducing its capacity LONG TERM MEMORY Storehouse of unlimited capacity information and filed and coded so that we can retrieve it when we need it Distinction between short and long term memory o Serial position effect ability to recall information in a list depends on where in the list an item appears o Primacy effect items presented early in a list are o Recency effect items presented late in a list are remembered better remembered best Declarative memory memory for factual information names faces dates and facts about things Procedural memory refers to memory for skills and habits about how to DO things Episodic memory memory for events that occur in a particular time place or context relate to context Semantic networks mental represenations of clusters of interconnected information Spreading activation one memory triggers activation of related memories in a process known as spreading activation NEUROSCIENCE OF MEMORY Engram term for physical memory trace that corresponds to a Hippocampus plays a central role in the consolidation of memories memory email system Cerebral cortex of the brain where it is stored Amygdala is involved with memories involving emotion Long term potentiation certain neural pathways become easily excited while a new response is being learned Consolidation memories become fixed and stable in long term memory takes days maybe years Information storage is linked to sites where processing of stimulus occurs MODULE 21 RECALLING LONG TERM MEMORIES Tip of the tongue phenomenon difficulty retrieving information stored in long term memory RETRIEVAL CLUES Recall is not perfect because there is so much information stored in long term memory Retrieval clue stimulus that allows us to recall more easily information that is in long term memory Recall specific piece of information must be retrieved Recognition occurs when people are presented with a stimulus and asked whether they have been exposed to it previously or are asking to identify it from a list of alternatives much easier Levels of processing theory emphasizes the degree to which new material is mentally analyzed the amount of information processing that occurs when material is initially encountered is central in determining how much of the information is ultimately remembered The deeper the initial level of processing the longer the information LEVELS OF PROCESSING will be retained EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT MEMORY information Explicit memory refers to intentional or conscious recollection of Implicit memory refers to memories of which people are not consciously aware but that can affect subsequent performance and behavior Priming phenomenon in which exposure to a word or concept later makes it easier to recall related information FLASHBULB MEMORIES Flashbulb memories memories related to specific important or surprising event that are so vivid they represent a virtual snapshot of the event CONSTRUCTIVE PROCESSES IN MEMORY REBUILDING THE PAST Constructive processes processes in which memories are influenced by the meaning we five to events Schemas organized bodies of information stored in memory that bias the way new information is interpreted stored and recalled Memories can easily be manipulated Autobiographical memories recollections of circumstances and episodes from our own lives In cultures without written language stories are very exaggerated since stories are handed down MODULE 22 FORGETTING WHEN MEMORY FAILS WHY WE FORGET failure of encoding not paid attention to the material in the first place decay the loss of information through nonuse interference information in memory disrupts the recall of other information cue dependent forgetting forgetting that occurs when there are insufficient retrieval cues to rekindle information that is in memory PROACTIVE AND RETROACTIVE INTERFERENCE THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF FORGETTING Proactive interference information learned earlier disrupts the recall of newer material Retroactive interference refers to difficulty in the recall of information because of later exposure to different material MEMORY DYSFUNCTIONS AFFLICTIONS OF FORGETTING Alzheimer s disease illness characterized in part by severe Amnesia memory loss that occurs without other mental difficulties Retrograde


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UMass Amherst PSYCH 100 - THE FOUNDATIONS OF MEMORY

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