Memory
A Review
Define Encoding
Initial recording of
information
Define Storage
Information saved for future
use
Define Retrieval
Recovery of stored information
Give an example of
retrieval
Why is forgetting essential to
the proper functioning of
memory?
Helps us avoid being burdened &
distracted by trivial stores of
meaningless data.
Includes iconic & echoic
memories, and an exact
replica of stimulus
Sensory Memories
What did George Sperling prove
evidence of?
Sensory memory
How long can information be
stored in short term memory?
15-30 seconds
Give an example of chunking
PBSFOXCNNABC : PBS FOX CNN ABC
You are asked to go to the store
and purchase milk, bread,
butter, eggs and bacon. What is
it called if you create a story to
help you remember the list?
Elaborative Rehearsal
What is a Mnemonic?
Technique for organizing information
Ability to recall information
in a list depends on where in
the list an item appears.
serial position effect
Explain the difference between
the primacy & recency effect.
Items presented earlier in the
list are remembered better
vs. items present late in the
list are remembered better
Memory for factual information:
names, faces, dates, & facts.
Declarative memory
Memory for skills & habits
Procedural memory
Semantic vs. Episodic Memory
Mental almanac of facts & general
knowledge vs. memory for biographical
details of our individual lives
Activating one memory triggers
the activation of related
memories.
Spreading Activation
Theory of memory that
emphasizes the degree to which
new material is mentally
analyzed
Levels of Processing
Schemas
Organized pieces of information that bias
the way new information is interpreted,
store, & recalled
Give 4 facts about eyewitness
memory from class reading &
discussion
• Eyewitnesses are not always accurate even
though they are highly confident
• Children have worse recall compared ot
adults
• Weapons increase likelihood of “false”
memory
• The wording of questions can distort
recall
Ebbinghaus Findings
• Forgetting occurs systematically
• Most rapid forgetting occurs in the first
nine hours
Why do we forget? (4)
•
•
•
•
Failure of encoding
Decay
Interference
Cue-dependent forgetting
Proactive Interference
• The past interferes with the present
(learning French in 9th grade interferes
w/ learning Spanish in 11th grade)
Retrograde vs. Anterograde
Amnesia
Cannot remember anything prior to head
injury vs. not remembering information
after injury (no ST to LT memory)
Retroactive Interference
• Retroactive interference works backward
in time – present interferes with past.
(learning Spanish in 11th grade interferes w/
the French you learned in 9th grade)
STUDY