Memory

Warm Up ObjectiveWhat part of psychology

are you least prepared for on the final? What concepts do you not understand and would like to have clarification on?

Students will compare murals to the information so that they may see the connection between the pictures representing memory to the background information.

What is memory?Memory is the persistence of learning over

time through the storage and retrieval of information

Our memory is our link to highly emotional moments in our pastDo you remember December 11th, 7 years ago?

Flashbulb memory is a clear memory of an emotionally significant event in out livesDo you remember September 11th, 12 years

ago?

Processing InformationHow do you get information into your brain and stick in

your brain?You first encode the information, then you store it, and

lastly you retrieve it. Think about a computer. First you download the information

and find somewhere to store it. When you need the information again, you find where it is stored and retrieve it.

Three types of memoryShort term memory – holding a few items briefly like

phone numbers when dialing.Long term memory – permanent and limitless storage of

information such as knowledge and skills.Working memory – processing your audio or visual

information to process them at the same time. This is why some of us can multitask

Encoding – Taking in informationTwo forms of processing

Automatic processing Unconscious encoding of accidental information such as space, time, and

frequency, and of well learning information Very difficult to shut it off, such as when you see the word “One way”, you

automatically understand that traffic goes 1 way. Effortful Processing

Encoding which requires attention in order to encode it This can become automatic processing through repetition and constant exposure

This is known as rehearsal The more the rehearse something the better you know it

Next in line effect – you worry about how you will perform, get anxious and do not always remember what the person next to you just said (this is why popcorn reading does not work)

Consciousness determines how much we encode – lose consciousness, lose encoding

Sleep learning does not work, you must rehearse to be well versed (spacing effect) Fun fact- spacing things out works better than cramming information, not like you

care Serial position effect – we remember the first and last items in a list

What do we encode?Visual Encoding (what we see)

Imagery Mental pictures which help aid effortful processing Works best when paired with semantic encoding

Mnemonic devices How you remember things by associating them with other items ROYGBIV

Acoustic Encoding (what we hear)Semantic Encoding (what we mean)Chunking

Organizing familiar manageable unitsThis often occurs automatically

Why do we remember phone numbers? We chunk them together into 3-3-4 Lock combinations? Associate them with a jersey number from a sport.

HierarchyDivide the information into logical levels from general to specific

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JnDBYf9odc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIg73ppoVZw

Storage – Retaining InformationIconic memory vs. echoic memory

Iconic – instant visual memory which lasts a split second

Echoic memory – instant auditory memory which lasts 3 to 4 seconds if not paying attention. When you are not paying attention to the teacher

and he asks you a question, you may be able to recall what was said

Working and Short Term MemoryThink about this like a flashlight, you flash

your light some where and can see what is there, but if you take off the light, you might not remember everything you sawThe longer you are exposed to something, to

more you will remember itMagical Number 7 plus/minus 2– we usually

can remember up anywhere from 5-9 digits depending on the digitsIt is easier to remember numbers than it is

letters.

Long Term MemoryMemory does decay over periods of timeYou do not remember memories as a whole, but break

them down and retrieve them bit by bitLTP – long term potentiation, basis for learning by

increased potential for a synapse to fireEmotional arousal can help make a memory be

retained in the brainThink of your best birthday, think of a very sad event,

think of a time when you were very angry.The stronger the emotion, the stronger the memoryWhen the stress occurs over a consistent amount of time,

it can have a negative effect where it blocks other memories

Storage of implicit and explicit memoriesAmnesia is the loss of memory

Often it is portrayed in the media incorrectly This is where you lose memory and you get it back,

but in reality, you do not gain any more memory, not being able to register new memory.

Amnesia is a loss of conscious memory, they can still do things which they have always done through automatic processing, such as be classically conditioned

Implicit memory (independent of conscious recollection) vs. explicit memory (needs to be “declared” and consciously deemed important)

H-i-p-p-o-c-a-m-p-u-sNeural center of the limbic systemDamage to the hippocampus can lead to memory

lossTwo sides (lateralized)

Left is verbal information while right is visual information

Hippocampus processes more recent memories while old memories are stored in the brain.Think about the hippocampus as the librarian who

sorts books (memories). Books come in, whether new or old, and they are kept until they are processed and placed correctly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehtk3NfnX4A

Retrieval – Getting information back outMemory is a three step process – remembering it,

storing it somewhere, and getting the information (recall)Recognizing something faster or relearning information

indicates memoryLooking at your old yearbook, you might remember your

classmates and memories you have associated with them, but without the visual cue, you might not remember them.

Relearning demonstrates memoryLearn to ride a bike as a child, but do not ride one until

last year. You might be rusty to begin, but you will pick it up quicker than the first time you learned it.

Retrieval CuesMemory is not stored as a single memory, but in pieces in parts of

your brain.Using your senses to added to the experience will help you

retrieve the memoriesPriming refers to a increased sensitivity to certain stimuli due to

prior experience. Direct retrieval utilizes explicit memory, while priming relies on

implicit memory. Context clues

You remember through associating the memory with the activity you were doing. Example: you forget what you were going to say, but when you hear a word

your classmate says, you instantly remember your question. Déjà vu – “already seen” in French

Cues trigger the event which relates to an earlier experience (whether real or fictitious)

Moods and MemoriesEasiest way to retrieve memories of a specific mood is

to be in that mood again.State dependant memory

Mood-congruent memoryWe recall memory that are consistent with our good or

bad moodIf you are depressed, you most likely will have a

negative outlook by priming negative associations (when it rains it pours).

Can influence how we interpret other people’s behavior. If you are in a bad mood, someone looking at you is mad dogging you but if you are in a good mood, they are interested

Making or forgetting memoriesHow you forget

Being absent minded – not paying attentionTransience – unused memory after a duration of timeBlocking – cannot access the memory needed

How you alter memoryMisattribution – remembering something fictitious as real or

believing someone said words when they did notSuggestibility – a suggestion becomes memory (were you

touched inappropriately as a child to child molestation)Bias – how you feel now may make you alter the memory

when recalling itHow memory can haunt you

Persistence – unwanted memories which keep resurfacing

ForgettingAge is a factor to how we encode memorySomething that is not meaningful we will not

remember even though we are exposed to it on a daily basis

Decay in memoryWe quickly forget things that we don’t use

oftenIf you do not forget it in the first week, you

will most likely remember that information in the long run. The longer the memory is not accessed, the more the memory will decay

Do you believe that you will know Spanish learned in high school 3 years from now if you are just learning the language?

Failure to RetrieveThe book is in the library but you cannot

check the book out. The name is on the tip of your tongue but you cannot remember the name.

InterferenceProactive (forward acting) vs. interactive

(backward acting) interference Disruptive effect of prior learning on new

information vs. new learning on prior information

Motivated ForgettingWe remember what we want to remember. When we find something desirable, we will

“remember” that we do these things, when it is undesirable we will “forget”To remember the past, we revise it to make ourselves

look or feel betterRepression

A defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

We self sensor painful information by repressingIf the emotion of being happy help remember memories,

does the emotion of being sad make us forget?

Memory ConstructionListen to the paragraph. Try and remember clues

about the paragraph.When you remember you may construct false

memoriesThis is most evident in traffic accidents.

Dependent on the words which are said during the question. Would you think there is a difference between hit and

smashed?Misinformation effect

Incorporating misleading information into one’s memory. Very hard to think about what is real and what is fake Your imagination can contribute to misinformation

Improve your memory!Study repeatedly to boost long term recallSpend more time rehearsing and thinking about the

materialMake them personal with meaning behind themUse mnemonic devices like the memory palace.Refresh your memory by activating retrieval cuesRecall the events when they are fresh, before they

misinformation comes into playMinimize interferenceTest your knowledge to see what you know and

don’t know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF0OmIO18-8