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Questions and Answers
What is the maximum duration for holding information in short-term memory without rehearsal?
What is the typical capacity limit of short-term memory, as identified by George Miller?
Which type of rehearsal focuses on the meaning of information to help transfer it to long-term memory?
What type of memory involves skills and actions that have been learned?
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What phenomenon describes the tendency to recall memories that align with one’s current emotional state?
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What defines the duration of sensory memory?
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Which stage of memory has unlimited capacity for information?
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What is the primary function of sensory memory?
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Which type of sensory memory pertains to the brief retention of sounds?
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What transition occurs in short-term memory?
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Study Notes
What is Memory?
- Memory is a complex process involving acquiring, storing, and retrieving information.
Stages of Memory
- The stage model of memory suggests information flows through three stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
- Each stage differs in capacity (how much info it holds), duration (how long it retains info), and function (what it does with the information).
Sensory Memory
- Sensory memory briefly stores a detailed record of sensory experiences, lasting only a fraction of a second to 3 seconds.
- It has a large capacity for information.
- Examples include: iconic memory (visual) and echoic memory (auditory).
- Function: allows for a continuous perception of the world, rather than disconnected sensory inputs.
Short-Term Memory
- Also known as working memory.
- Stores information transferred from sensory memory and retrieved from long-term memory.
- Holds information currently being used in conscious cognitive activity.
- Duration is about 30 seconds, but can be extended through maintenance rehearsal (repeating information).
Capacity of Short-Term Memory
- Limited to about 7 items or bits of information at a time (George Miller, 1956).
- This capacity can be increased through techniques like chunking (grouping information into meaningful units).
Long-Term Memory
- Stores information retained beyond the 30-second duration of short-term memory.
- Potentially permanent storage.
- Unlimited capacity for information.
- Elaborative rehearsal (focusing on meaning) helps encode and transfer information to long-term memory.
Types of Long-Term Memory
- Procedural Memory: Skills, operations, actions.
- Episodic Memory: Specific events.
- Semantic Memory: General knowledge, facts, names, concepts.
Mood and Memory
- Emotional states tend to evoke memories consistent with that mood.
- Positive mood: easier recall of happy memories.
- Negative mood: easier recall of sad memories.
Flashbulb Memory
- Vivid recall of specific details surrounding a rare or significant event.
- Seem incredibly vivid but function like ordinary memories, with some details remembered, some forgotten, and some inaccurately recalled.
- High confidence in the accuracy distinguishes them from ordinary memories.
Source Confusion and False Memories
- A type of memory distortion where the true source of a memory is forgotten.
- Can lead to false memories when imagining, hearing, reading, or seeing something is confused with a real event.
Forgetting
- The inability to recall previously available information.
- There are various explanations for forgetting:
Encoding Failure
- Occurs when information never gets encoded into long-term memory in the first place.
- Explains forgetting trivial details, like where you put your keys.
Interference Theory
- Forgetting happens when one memory competes with or replaces another.
- Similarity of information is a key factor.
Decay Theory
- Forgetting results from normal metabolic processes in the brain over time.
- Memories fade away due to lack of use.
Amnesia
- Severe memory loss.
- Two types:
Retrograde Amnesia
- Loss of memory (especially episodic) for events prior to the amnesia.
- Inability to recall past experiences.
- Often caused by head injuries.
Anterograde Amnesia
- Loss of memory caused by the inability to create new memories.
- Often results from brain damage.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of memory with this quiz. Learn about the stages of memory, including sensory memory and short-term memory, and understand the processes of acquiring, storing, and retrieving information. Test your knowledge on how these stages function and their capacities.
