Psychology Chapter: Memory and Information Processing

According to the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory, how many stages of storage are involved in storing information in long-term memory?

What is the capacity of short-term memory, as discovered by George Miller?

What is the primary function of sensory memory?

What happens to information in sensory memory if it is deemed unimportant?

What is the duration of information storage in short-term memory?

What is the purpose of short-term memory?

What is the primary difference between short-term memory and sensory memory?

What is the role of short-term memory in the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory?

What happens to information in sensory memory if it is deemed important?

How does the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory describe the process of storing information?

What is the purpose of storing information in sensory memory?

Memory vs Remembering

Memory: the place where information is stored in the human mind
Remembering: a mental process that recalls information that has already been learned

The Information Processing

Memory is an information processing system like a computer
Information processing involves three stages: encoding, storing, and retrieval
Encoding: making mental representations of information
Storing: retaining the encoded information
Retrieval: recalling the information from memory

Encoding

Encoding is the process of converting data into mental representation
Encoding occurs in two levels of processing:
- Automatic Processing: encoding details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words without conscious awareness
- Effortful Processing: encoding details that takes time and effort

Types of Encoding

Acoustic encoding: encoding of sounds to store it
Visual encoding: encoding of images to store it
Semantic encoding: encoding of words and their meanings (most effective form of encoding)

Storing

Storing is the retention or placing of the encoded information for later recall
Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory: information passes through three stages in order to be stored in long-term memory
Types of storage:
- Sensory memory: storage of brief sensory events (up to 2 seconds)
- Short-term memory (STM): a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory (lasts about 20 seconds, capacity of 7 items +/-2)
- Long-term memory (LTM): permanent storage of information

Explore the concepts of memory and information processing in psychology. Learn about the difference between memory and remembering, and how encoding processes work.