Three-Step Memory Process
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
• integrating
information into the
memory system
• preserving
encoded material in
memory
• accessing memory
from storage
You meet a attractive
girl and catch her name.
You say her name over
and over in your head
to memorize it.
You have to recall her
name when you want to
snapchat her.
Computers Do This Same
Process!
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
We are going to
focus on these
two elements of
memory today.
You type into a
computer.
You hit “save” to
preserve your
document.
You can “open” your
file at a later date.
Methods of Encoding
Visual
– The encoding of
images
Acoustic
Semantic
– The encoding
of sound
– The encoding
of meaning
Of the three, semantic
encoding retains the most
information. Combining
encoding methods works
even better, and attaching
personal meaning is best.
Self-Reference Effect: we remember more
if the information is related to ourselves
In the next sentence, count the
number of “F”s that appear (7 sec.)
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.
• There are 6 “F”s. If you counted less, you
were encoding acoustically (“fs” sound
like “v” in the “of” words).
Processing Memory
Hippocampus
The hippocampus develops
explicit memory for
storage (does not store it!)
• Study of London cab
drivers showed they had
larger than usual
hippocampus
Processing Memory
Effortful Processing
Automatic Processing
– Encoding that requires
focus and concentration
– Encoding that does not
require immediate attention
• EXAMPLES: learning new
psychology material, first
learning to read or ride a
bike, learning a name
• EXAMPLES: where you ate
yesterday, reading a book or
riding a bike at age 25, what
clothes you slept in last night
Aids for Encoding
• Rehearsal: repeating information
continually
• Mnemonics: memory “supports”
helpful to organize information
– In 1492 Columbus sailed..
– Please Excuse My Dear Aunt
Sally
– 50 states song
• 50 states - song # two
– Mary Very Easily Makes Jam
Saturday Unless No Plums
I will need a volunteer from the class for our next part…
Aids for Encoding
Try to remember the following
sixteen digit number, in
order...
1492177618121941
• Chunking: clumping information into more
manageable units
1492177618121941
Aids for Encoding
Spacing Effect:
• Information is better
retained when learned
over a period of time
rather than all at once
Aids for Encoding
Listen to the grocery list below.
After all items have been
stated, you will write down as
many as you can remember.
Eggs Butter Milk Grapes
Cheese Wine Chicken
Onions Cabbage Coffee
Alfredo Pineapple Apples
Lettuce Sausage Waffles
Cereal
Sugar
Limes
Noodles
Ketchup
Aids for Encoding
Serial Position Effect:
• We better remember the
beginning (Primacy Effect)
and end (Recency Effect) of
lists
• First items:
Eggs, butter, milk, grapes,
cereal, cheese, wine
• Middle items: Chicken, sugar, onions,
cabbage, coffee, limes, alfredo
• Last items: Pineapple, apples, noodles,
lettuce, sausage, waffles, ketchup
• Real Life Implications? Job Interviews!
– First person interviewed gets hired 18% of
the time. Last person interviewed gets
hired 56% of the time.
Storage
Preserving encoded material in
memory
Sensory Memory: The original recording
of sensory data in memory (senses)
Iconic memory:
• Visual sensory
memory; duration
is only .3 seconds
– We remember
every image in
perfect detail, but
only for the .3
seconds
– Remember... We
visually encode
into our iconic
memory!
When George Sperling flashed a group of
letters for 1/20th of a second, people could
recall only about half of the letters. But
when primed via a tone to recall a
particular row immediately after the letters
had disappeared, they could do so with
almost perfect accuracy.
Sensory Memory: the original recording
of sensory data in memory (senses)
Echoic Memory:
• Temporary
auditory
memory; can
have a 3-4
second delay
– Sometimes while
you’re asking
“What did you
say?”, you then
hear the original
wording in your
head
Short-Term Memory
• (also called Working Memory)
• Functioning memory that holds information temporarily
until it is stored or forgotten
– Lasts about 20 seconds
– Can contain 7±2 items
• Where in life do you see numbers 5-9 digits long?
– Information we deem important is then transferred into our longterm memory
How well did
you perform
on the
“Simon”
game?
Long-Term Memory
• The enduring and limitless repository of the memory
system
– In 2006, Japan’s Akira Haraguchi recited the first 100,000
digits of pi
– Sleep plays a key function in the
consolidation of memories
– The Clark’s Nutcracker can locate
up to 6000 caches of pine seeds it
had previously buried during winter
and early spring
– Even if you claim you used to know
something and “forgot” it, you probably
didn’t; you just have trouble accessing
the memory
Types of Memories
Explicit Memories
• Memory of facts (declarative
memories) and experiences
(episodic memories) that one can
deliberately identify and state
– Hippocampus plays a role in
forming explicit memory
• Examples:
– Stating how old you are
– Reciting “Pledge of Allegiance”
– Winning “States” soccer
championship
Implicit Memories (aka Procedural
memories):
• Retention without cognizant
recall (such as skills)
•
– Cerebellum plays a role in
forming implicit memory
Examples:
– Faculty still having the game to
beat Seniors in Bball game
– Knowing how to play electric
guitar
Flashbulb Memories
• An emotionally significant
memory
– It’s as if our brain commands,
“Capture this!”
– Hormones released during
emotional moments enhance
the memory creation
Most common types:
• Injury/accident (18%),
• sports (11%),
• opposite sex (10%),
• animals (9%),
• deaths (5%),
• vacations (5%)
Storing Memories
• Memories are stored throughout
the brain – no one single “spot”