What effortful processing methods
aid in forming memories?
By: Cody B, Josie S, Ayanna C
Levels of processing
Visual encoding- The encoding of picture images
Acoustic encoding- The encoding of sounds, especially the sound of words
Semantic encoding- The encoding of meaning, including the meaning of
words
*Processing a word deeply- by its meaning( semantic encoding)- produces a better recognition of it at a
later then does shallow processing by attending to its appearance or sound.
*We tend to process verbal information best because we make it relevant to ourselves
EXAMPLES
-Acoustic encoding enhances the memorability and seeming truth of rhyming aphorisms
-People often ask how actors learned all their line? They do it by first coming to understand
the flow a of meaning, as reported by psychologist-actor team Helga Noice and Tony
Noice(2006). “One actor divided a half-page of dialogue into three[intentions]: to flatter,’ “
to draw him out,’ and ‘ to allay his fears.’” With this meaningful sequence in mind, the actor
more easily remembers the lines
EXAMPLES
- We encode the meaning withe what we already heard...whether we hear
eye-scream as in “ ice cream” or “ I scream” depending on content
-You encode the meaning while you read (”The angry rioter threw the rock
through the window”) and not how it's written (“ The angry rioter threw the
rock at the window
Visual Encoding
As humans, we more easily remember concrete words that lend
themselves to visual mental images, that we do abstract, low imagery
words.For example if you were given the words: typewriter, void,
cigarette, inherent, fire, and process, you’d be more likely to remember
the word cigarette than the word process, because the word cigarette is
paired with images.
Imagery: Mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing,
especially when combined with semantic encoding
Visual Encoding
Imagery is also at the heart of many mnemonic devices. Mnemonics
were developed to help retrieve lengthy memorized speeches and
passages. Some modern day mnemonic devices rely on both visual
and acoustic codes. For example, the peg word system requires you to
memorize a jingle: “One is a bun, two is a shoe, three is a tree, four is a
door, five is a hive, six is sticks, seven is heaven, eight is a gate, nine is
a swine, ten is a hen.” Soon you’ll be able to count by the peg words
instead of the numbers, then visually associate the peg-words with tobe-remembered items.
Mnemonics: memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid
imagery and organizational devices.
Chunking: organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often
occurs automatically. (occurs so naturally that we take it for granted)
Examples:
- A chess master who, after a 5-second look at the board during a game,
can recall the exact positions of most of the pieces.
- A varsity basketball player who, given a 4-second glance at a basketball
play can recall the exact positions of the players.
Chunking can also be used as a mnemonic technique to recall
unfamiliar material, such as ROY G. BIV. In this case we chunk
information into a more familiar form by creating an acronym.
Hierarchies: In hierarchies composed of a few broad
concepts divided and subdivided into narrower concepts
and facts. Organizing knowledge into hierarchies helps us
retrieve information efficiently.
Example: When words are organized into groups, recall is two to three times
better. Such results show the benefits of organizing what you study--of paying
special attention to unit outlines, headings, preview questions, summaries, and
self-test questions. If you can master a unit’s concepts within their overall
organization, your recall should be effective at test time.
1. T/F Organizing items into familiar manageable units is called
chunking.
2. T/F Mnemonics are memory aids.
3. It is _____ to remember words that lend themselves to visual
mental images
a. harder
b. easier
c. funner
4.)T/F Semantic encoding is of sound, especially the sound of
words
5.) T/F Mnemonics can only rely on visual codes.
6.) What is an example of chunking?
7.) T/F If you can master a unit’s concepts within their overall
organization, your recall should be effective at test time.
1. True
2. True
3. B
4. False
5. ROY G. BIV, varsity basketball player, chess player,
etc.
6. True