Memory & Thought

Learning Unit

Memory and Thought• John Kingsley came to our attention in a

shocking news story about an 83-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who was found unattended in his wheelchair at a dog race track outside of Spokane, Washington. Attached to his chair a note misidentifying him. John did not know who he was or how he got to the races. He could not help authorities find his family or his previous caregivers. John Kingsley, like many other patients during advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, is alive, but without life. Without a memory of his past, or the ability to remember anything new, John’s life is nothing but the existing moment.

Memory and Thought• Think about all of the things you remember

o How does all of that junk fit in your head?• SSN• Capital of South Dakota• Star-Spangled Banner• Girlfriends phone number• Civil War generals• Phillies lineup• Best friend in first grade

Process of Memory• Memory: the input, storage, and retrieval of what

has been learned or experiencedo To remember who your BFF was in 8th grade you use a few processes

• Encoding (1st): transforming of info so the nervous system can process ito Acoustic Codeso Visual Codeso Semantic Codes

Process of Memory• Storage (2nd): Process by

which info is maintained over a period of timeo How much info is stored depends

on how much effort is put on encoding the info and its importance

• Retrieval (3rd): Process of obtaining info that has been stored in memoryo Efficiency of retrieval depends on

how well it was encoded and stored (plus some genetic factors)

Process of Memory• You have 20 seconds – remember as much as you

can…

Three Stages of Memory

• Sensory Memory: very brief memory storage immediately following initial stimulation of a receptoro Iconic: hold visual info for up to 1 secondo Echoic: holds auditory info for 1 or 2 seconds

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Three Stages of Memory

• Sensory Memory: Serves three functionso Prevents you from being

overwhelmed• Anything you don’t pay

attention to vanishes in a second

o Gives you some decision time• Only there for a few seconds

(gives you enough time to decide whether its important)

o Allows for continuity and stability in your world• Iconic memory makes your

world smooth and continuous while Echoic memory gives you time to recognize sounds as words

Short-Term Memory• Definition: Memory that is

limited in capacity to about seven items and in duration by the subject’s active rehearsalo Doesn’t necessarily involve paying

close attention (ask my wife)• Maintenance Rehearsal:

system for remembering that involves repeating information to oneself without attempting to find meaning in ito Short Term Memory lasts a little less

than 20 seconds without rehearsal

Short-Term Memory• Chunking: process of grouping items together to

make them easier to remembero DMVo SATo BRBo CSRo ISSo LOLo OSSo To memorize lots of info fast CHUNK ITEMS TOGETHERo This info is still only available for generally for less than 20 seconds

and no more than 30 secondso Info worth holding onto must be REHEARSED with the intent of

transferring it to long-term memory

Short-Term Memory• Primacy-Recency

Effect: you are better able to recall information presented at the beginning of a list than at the endo Most likely you remember the

first 4 or 5 items because you had more time to rehearse them (primacy effect)

o You may also be able to recall the last 4 or 5 items because they’re in your short-term memory (recency effect)

Short-Term Memory• Working Memory:

Serves as a system for processing and working with current informationo Includes short-term memory

(events that just occurred) and long-term memory, now recalled for current information

Long-Term Memory• Definition: storage of info over extended periods

of timeo Uses all of the processes from short-term memoryo Think about going to see a movie…

Long-Term Memory• Semantic Memory (1): knowledge of language,

including its rules, words, and meanings• Episodic Memory (2): chronological retention of

the events of ones life• Declarative Memory (3): stored knowledge that

can be called forth consciously as needed• Procedural Memory (4): permanent storage of

learned skills that does not require conscious recollection