Memory and Thought
How can we improve our memory
What are the types of memory
Why do we forget?
The Information Processing
Model
 A. What does it do?
 1.
Encodes (input)
 - processes information into memory
 Menatl reproesentation
 a.
b.
Automatic
Effortful
2. Stores
- places information into memory
3. Retrieves (output)
1. Gets information out of storage
a. Recall
Reconstructing a memory
exb. Recognition
- identifying that something is familiar
ex.
What are the three types of
memory
1. Sensory register
2. Short term
3. Long term
c. Two levels of Processing
 1. Shallow
 Simple repetition
 Not an effective way to encode
information
 2. Deep processing or elaborate rehearsal
 Forming associations between new
information that is already stored
 Information has meaning and is easier to
remember
Common Cents
 http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/com
mon_cents/index.html
Mnemonic Devices
- ways to remember things
 1. Subjective organization
A personal way to remember
things
 2. Acronyms
Method of Loci
 Visualize associations between
already memorized places and
new things to be memorized
Peg words
 - associating number word rhymes
and items to be memorized
 1 bun
2 shoe
3 tree
 4 door
5 hive
6 sticks
 7 heaven
8gate
9 swine
 10 hen
Come up with your own
Mnemonic device
 This is due on Wednesday!
Memory Stages
 A. Sensory register
 1. Information is held for a split second
 2. Function
 A. Prevent the mind from being
overwhelmed
B. Provides stability,
playback and recognition
C. Give decision time
- allowing you to decide if
something is important
SELECTIVE ATTENTION
PARTY TIME
How is information selected?
 A. Selective attention
 Concentrating on one sensation
without completely blocking out
other sensations
Three points of interest
basic need, novel, something of
interest
 AGB
 TJK
 WLP
 KRG
 XDT
 WLP
XCV
BHY
OTR
 MKL
 WDC
 BGT
 DWS
 VFT
 GXC
 ZXA
 QKI
 NHY
 FVG
 HYU
 AVH
 JKI
 LKM
 NYT
Feature extraction
 - focusing on the significant characteristics
of information
IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING
LETTERS
 ONE VERTICAL LINE
 ONE HORIZONTAL LINE
 TWO RIGHT ANGLES
 TWO VERTICAL LINES
 ONE HORIZONTAL LINE
 FOUR RIGHT ANGLES
 HOW IS THIS FEATURE EXTRACTION
Type of sensory memory
 a. Iconic
- visual memory
 information is held for a quarter second.
 b. Echoic
- auditory memory
 information is held for 1-2 seconds
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Short term memory
 What is your immediate memory span?
Chunking
THE-EDO-GSA-WTH-ECA-T
THE DOG SAW THE CAT
Short term memory
1. Information is held for about twenty
seconds
2. Capacity
7 unrelated items Plus or minus 2
- Capacity can be increased by
chunking - putting information
into meaningful chunks
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BED 17
QUILT 17
DARK 15
SILENCE 11
FATIGUE 17
CLOCK 11
SNORING 3
 1. What is the first stage of
memory
 2. Explain Iconic memory
 3. What is feature extraction?
 4. What is the capacity of short
term memory?
 5. What is chunking?
Long term memory
 - MOST PERMANENT MEMORY
STORAGE WITH UNLIMITED
CAPACITY AND DURATION
Serial Position Effect
 - retention depends on the order in which
information is presented
PRIMACY EFFECT
- ENHANCED ABILITY TO REMEMBER
FROM THE BEGINNING OF A TASK
Recency Effect
RECENCY EFFECT
- ENHANCED ABILITY TO REMEMBER
ITEMS FROM THE END OF A TASK
You are called in for an interview and can choose your time
9,10,11,12 or 1
What time do you pick?
Why
What would you do if you had the 11 time?
SEMANTIC DISTINCTIVENESS
 - SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN
THE NORM
 B. Spacing
- information is remembered if there is time
to process in between tasks
Types of long term memory
 1. DECLARATIVE/explicit
- MEMORIES FOR FACTS OR EVENTS
SUCH AS SCENES,WORDS, STORIES,
DAILY EVENTS
- you are consciously aware of these memories
A. SEMANTIC
- GENERAL FACTUAL
KNOWLEDGE. WORDS, LANGUAGE
RULES, DATES
Declarative/implicit continued
B. EPISODIC
- MEMORIES FROM PERSONALLY
EXPERIENCED EVENTS
-
(episodes of your life)
Procedural/Implicit

MEMORIES RELATED TO SKILLS
AND HABITS
 WE ARE UNAWARE OF THESE
HABITS AND CANNOT RETREIVE
THEM
Scientific Frontiers – Alan Alda
 http://vsx.onstreammedia.com/vsx/pbssaf/se
arch/PBSPlayer?assetId=69014&ccstart=0
&pt=0&preview=&
entire=yes
Clive wearing
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmzU4
7i2xgw&feature=related
 Riding a bike is what type of memory
 Procedural
semantic
episodic
 2. How long is info held in STM?
 3. How long is info held in sensory register
 4. Remembering items at the beginning of the list is
known as the
 5. Who is Clive Wearing?
D. Explicit vs Implicit Memory
A. EXPLICIT (DECLARATIVE)
- MEMORIES YOU ARE
CONSCIOUSLY AWARE OF
B. IMPLICIT- (PROCEDURAL)
- MEMORIES YOU ARE NOT
CONSCIOUS OF
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.
RETRIEVAL
A. RECALL VS RECOGNITION
1. RECOGNITION
- RETRIEVING INFORMATION
FROM MEMORY WHICH
INVOLVES DETERMINING WHETHER
SOMETHING IS FAMILIAR
2. RECALL
- RETRIEVING INFORMATION
FROM MEMORY WHICH
REQUIRES RECONSTRUCTING THE
MEMORY
 a. Confabulation
 - remembering parts of the
 information and then filling
in the rest with what makes
sense to you ( making up
memories)
 i. leveling – simplifying the
material
 ii. sharpening- highlighting or
overemphasizing material
 iii. Assimilation- changing details
to better fit subjects own
background or knowledge
 1. CONTEXT

- YOU RECALL MORE
ACCURATELY IN THE SAME
SITUATION THE EVENT TOOK
PLACE

- SIMILAR CONTEXTS
TRIGGER DEJA VU
 2. STATE-DEPENDENT
MEMORY
 - IMPROVED RETRIEVAL OF
MEMORY WHEN IN THE
SAME MENTAL, EMOTIONAL,
OR DRUG INDUCED STATE
THAT WAS PRESENT WHEN
THE MATERIAL WAS
LEARNED
Forgetting

1. Decay

Forgetting is caused by passage of time
Interference
 Proactive interference
 Interference occurs with previous learning
decreases ability to remember recent material
 Ex. A teacher can’t remember your name, they
call you your siblings name
 Retroactive interference
 Recently learned material
interferes with ability to
remember or learn old material
 Ex. Your teacher can’t
remember your older sibling’s
name, they can only remember
yours *
 Retroactive interference
 Recently learned material
interferes with ability to
remember or learn old material
 Ex. Your teacher can’t
remember your older sibling’s
name, they can only remember
yours *
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Repression
Anything that is too
painful for you to
remember is stored in the
unconscious mind