Close your eyes….What is the first
memory you can think of?
Introduction to Memory
The Human Brain and the
Computer work in three basic steps
• Encoding- getting
information into the
memory system
• Storage- retaining
information over time
• Retrieval- getting
information out of
storage
Information-Processing Model
Automatic and Effortful Processing
• Automatic Processingunconscious process of
capturing, or encoding,
information.
• Ex. (fire, threats)
• Effortful Processingencoding that requires
attention and conscious
effort
• Ex. (rehearsal)- practice;
effective way of
mastering information
Herman Ebbinghaus
• Father of memory
research; found out that
practice indeed makes
perfect
• He simply found that as
rehearsal increases,
relearning time decreases
• Believed in over learningcontinuing to rehearse
even after something has
been committed to
memory
Serial Position Effect
• Serial Position Effectthe tendency to recall
the first and last items
on a list.
• Example- You go out
and Friday night and
meet 12 people from
Niles North. You are
much more likely to
remember the people
you met first and last.
Primacy and Recency Effect
• Primacy Effectenhances the ability
to remember items
near the beginning of
a list.
• Recency Effectenhances our ability
to recall items near
the end of a list.
3 Random memory tips
• The more time you invest
in rehearsing, the more
effective your memory will
be.
• Continue to rehearse
academic information
even after you think you
have mastered it.
• Devote extra rehearsal
time to the middle of lists
you must memorize
Spacing Effect
• The spacing effect
shows that distributed
rehearsal or spread
out sessions work far
more superior than
cramming.
Encoding Meaning
• Semantic Encodingthe most effective
option to make
material meaningful.
• Ebbinghaus
concluded it was 10
times harder to learn
nonsense syllables
than meaningful
material.
Advantages of Semantic Encoding
90
80
70
60
50
Semantic
Acoustic
Visual
40
30
20
10
0
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
The Power of Images
Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic devicesterm for memory
tricks
Tell me the planets
from the sun using
this
M, V, E, M, J , S, U, N,
P
Two effective ways of Organizing
Information
• Chunking- organizing
information into
meaningful units
• Hierarchyorganizational
systems that focus on
relationships between
pieces of information.
• 177618121861191
719411963198620
01
• 1776, 1812, 1861,
1917, 1941, 1963,
1986, 2001
4 more Random memory tips
• Benefit from the spacing
effect- Study a little bit
each day
• Self- reference effectadd meaning to material
to relate it to your own life
• Use mnemonic devicesmemory tricks create
vivid images that are less
likely to be forgotten
• Chunk material- Encoding
is far easier if the
information is organized
What is storage?
• Storage is the
retention of
information.
• We have three types
of permanent
memories?
• 1- sensory
• 2 STM
• 3 LTM
What is sensory memory?
• Input that you are being
bombarded with (windows,
people, facial features, clothes,
jewelry, etc.) That’s just what
you see
• Same thing works for what we
hear……
• So what is sensory memory? A
way of encoding just long
enough to determine its
importance
• Visual info- less than a half a
second
• Auditory info- can be held on
for 3 seconds
• Example- What did I just say?
Short Term Memory
• More permanent than sensory memory
• 7 plus or minus two
• Average person can hold between 5-9
pieces of info in STM
• How do we keep it here? Rehearsal
• Example (Name game) Can I have a
volunteer please?
Long Term Memory
• LTM- represents the vast,
amazing memory storehouse
that can hold memories without
conscious effort.
• Examples- What your zip
code?
• What’s your English teachers
name?
• Where were you on New
Year’s eve?
• Why do you know them?
Meaning to you or rehearsal
• LTM- expansive; can last 100
years
Flashbulb Memories
• Flashbulb memoriesa clear vivid memory
of a significant,
emotional events
• Examples- Challenger
disaster, graduating
from college, Sept
11th
Memory and the Brain
• Our brain builds our
memories, just as you
would assemble a
jigsaw puzzle. When
pieces are missing,
we invent new ones.
This makes some of
our memories
accurate while others
are way off
Stress and Memory
• Stressful events such as
car accidents, stimulate
the release of stress
hormones that enhance
the formation of
memories. So, when I got
into a car accident in High
School, I remember this
vividly. These memories
make us make better
decisions such as
defensive driving in the
future.
Explicit and Implicit Memories
• Explicit memoriesmemory of facts and
experiences that one
must consciously
retrieve and declare
• Implicit Memoriesmemory of skills and
procedures, like how
to walk or ride a bike
2 Forms of Memory Retrieval
• So how do we get the info
back out? Retrieval,
Recognition
• Recall- a measure of
memory in which you
must retrieve the
information. Example- fill
in the blank test or essay
exam
• Recognition- measure of
memory in which you
must identify items you
learned earlier
Context Effect
• Context Effectenhanced ability to
retrieve information
more effectively when
you are in an
environment similar to
the one in which you
needed the
information. Why?
Environment provides
clues
• Ideally, where should
you study for the
exam on Friday in this
class?
State Dependent Memory
• The enhanced ability
to retrieve information
where you are in the
same physical
emotional state you
were in when you
encoded the
information.
• Memories are mood
congruent
Examples of Test Questions
• Sammy Sosa is the
president of the Spanish
club, and he will be
introducing the exchange
students from Spain at a
party tonight. He has been
studying the list of names,
but he still can’t remember
the five names in the middle
of the list. Sammy is
suffering from
• A. overlearning
• B. the self reference effect
• C. spacing effect
• D. the serial position effect
• Carlton Banks has a midterm
math test Monday, and he’s
been studying for it all
semester. He’s sure he
knows all the material that
will be on the test, but he’s
determined to continue
reviewing his math notes
and textbooks each day
between now and the test.
Carlton is using the
encoding technique known
as
• A. cramming
• B. over learning
• C. the recency effect
• D. automatic processing
Examples of Test Questions
• Russ Feingold has had a me-me-me day. In English,
he remembered the meaning of “autobiography” by
thinking about what he would say in his own life
history. In psychology, he decided he would play the
piano better if he rehearsed it daily, instead of only
on Saturday mornings before her piano lesson. Russ
is using
• A. the self reference effect to remember information from
his classes.
• B. the recency effect to prime his memory
• C. massed rehearsal to be the most successful student
in school
• D. automatic processing so that he won’t have to spend
time doing homework