Psychology Chapter 9: Memory

Chapter 9: Memory

• Memory is the process of retaining, retrieving, and using information.
• Atkinson and Shiffrin's 3-store model (1968) proposes sensory memory, working memory, and long-term memory. Information flows from input to sensory memory to attention to working memory.
• Sensory memory briefly stores sensory information for a fraction of a second.
• Short-term memory actively processes information from sensory memory. It can be manipulated for tasks like problem-solving and reasoning.
• Long-term memory stores information indefinitely after rehearsal or deep encoding.
• Working memory, proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), is a "workbench" for manipulating information in short-term memory. Used in complex tasks like comprehension, learning, and reasoning.
• Working memory components include the phonological loop (phonological store and articulatory rehearsal), and the visuospatial sketchpad (visual imagery).
• Capacity of short-term memory is 5-9 items (Miller, 1956). Digit span and word list tasks are used to assess working memory capacity.
• Change detection tasks involve showing visual displays and asking participants to identify changes.

Chapter 10: Sleep

• Sleep is an active state of consciousness with distinct stages.
• Sleep stages are measured by EEG waves.
• Wakefulness is characterized by alpha and beta activity.
• Stages of sleep progress from theta activity (stage 1), to sleep spindles and K-complexes (stage 2), to delta activity (stages 3 and 4 - slow-wave sleep), and lastly REM sleep (rapid eye movement).
• Each sleep cycle (approximately 90 minutes) repeats multiple times and includes all stages.
• Neural networks within the hypothalamus (VLPO, locus coeruleus, raphe nucleus, and tuberomammillary nucleus) promote sleep-wake cycles.
• These networks are mutually inhibitory, regulating transitions between sleep and wakefulness.
• REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements, muscle paralysis, and brain wave patterns similar to wakefulness.
• Neurogenesis and long-term potentiation (LTP)/long-term depression (LTD) are important for memory consolidation during sleep.

Chapter 11: Language

• Language is characterized as generative (creative), regular (structured), arbitrary (no inherent connection between form and meaning), referential (meaningful), species universal, and species-specific.
• Language's generative quality allows for the creation of novel sentences and phrases.
• Language has a regular and structured arrangement of words and sounds.
• Connection between a word's form and meaning is arbitrary.
• Language is used to refer to objects, actions, ideas, and experiences (even past and future ones).
• Components of language include phonemes (smallest unit of sound), morphology (smallest unit of meaning), syntax (rules governing sentence structure), semantics (meaning of language), pragmatics (use of language in social contexts)

Chapter 12: Decision-Making

• Behavioral economics combines psychology and economics to understand how people make decisions. Traditional models assume humans make decisions based on rational self-interest, but behavioral economics suggests many biases and irrationalities.
• Humans often value losses more than equivalent gains (loss aversion). They might exhibit risk aversion or risk-seeking behavior depending on the context.
• Rational choice theory assumes logical decision-making that maximizes personal utility.
• Prospect theory accounts for people's biased evaluation of gains and losses. Framing and presentation of information significantly impacts decision-making.
• Delay discounting is the tendency to devalue future gains relative to immediate ones, influenced by the limbic and prefrontal cortex.

Explore the intricate processes of memory with this quiz based on Chapter 9. Learn about Atkinson and Shiffrin's 3-store model, the roles of sensory, working, and long-term memory, and the components of working memory as proposed by Baddeley and Hitch. Test your understanding and retention of key memory concepts!