Psychology of Memory Types and Models

Memory

Types of Memory:

• Sensory Memory: brief storage of sensory information (iconic, echoic, and haptic)
• Short-Term Memory (STM): limited capacity, information held for a short period (~30 seconds)
• Long-Term Memory (LTM): permanent storage of information, can hold vast amounts of data

Models of Memory:

• Atkinson-Shiffrin Model: multi-store model, information flows from sensory to STM to LTM
• Working Memory Model: active processing of information in STM, involves rehearsal and encoding

Factors Affecting Memory:

• Encoding: process of transferring information into memory (e.g., semantic, acoustic, or visual)
• Retention: storage of information in memory
• Retrieval: accessing stored information from memory
• Interference: competing information can disrupt memory (proactive, retroactive, or output)
• Emotion: emotional arousal can enhance memory (flashbulb memories)

Attachment

Types of Attachment:

• Secure Attachment: child feels safe and comfortable with caregiver, explores environment freely
• Insecure Attachment: anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment styles
• Bowlby's Theory: attachment is an evolved mechanism for survival, caregiver provides safety and comfort

Stages of Attachment:

• Pre-attachment (0-3 months): child responds to caregivers but does not differentiate
• Attachment-in-the-making (4-6 months): child begins to show preference for primary caregiver
• Clear-cut Attachment (7-12 months): child shows clear attachment to primary caregiver

Factors Affecting Attachment:

• Sensitive Responsiveness: caregiver's responsiveness to child's needs influences attachment
• Temperament: child's innate personality traits can affect attachment style
• Caregiver-Child Interaction: quality of interaction affects attachment security

Social Influence

Types of Social Influence:

• Conformity: changing behavior to fit in with group norms
• Obedience: following orders or instructions from an authority figure
• Compliance: yielding to social pressure or persuasion
• Internalization: adopting attitudes or beliefs due to social influence

Factors Affecting Social Influence:

• Group Size: larger groups can lead to greater conformity
• Unanimity: agreement among group members increases social influence
• Anonymity: reduced accountability can lead to increased conformity
• Authority: perceived authority figures can exert greater social influence

Psychopathology

Defining Abnormality:

• Statistical Infrequency: behavior deviates from the norm
• Deviation from Social Norms: behavior violates cultural or societal norms
• Failure to Function: behavior interferes with daily life or relationships
• Distress: behavior causes significant emotional distress

Models of Abnormality:

• Biological Model: abnormal behavior due to genetic or physiological factors
• Behavioral Model: abnormal behavior due to learned behavior or environmental factors
• Cognitive Model: abnormal behavior due to faulty or maladaptive thinking patterns
• Humanistic Model: abnormal behavior due to unmet psychological needs or low self-esteem

Anxiety Disorders:

• Phobias: irrational fears of specific objects or situations
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder: excessive and persistent worry
• Panic Disorder: recurring panic attacks with intense fear or discomfort

Memory

• Sensory memory stores sensory information briefly, including iconic (visual), echoic (auditory), and haptic (tactile) information.
• Short-term memory (STM) has limited capacity and holds information for a short period of around 30 seconds.
• Long-term memory (LTM) provides permanent storage of information and can hold vast amounts of data.

Models of Memory

• The Atkinson-Shiffrin model is a multi-store model, where information flows from sensory memory to STM to LTM.
• The working memory model involves active processing of information in STM, including rehearsal and encoding.

Factors Affecting Memory

• Encoding is the process of transferring information into memory, which can occur through semantic, acoustic, or visual means.
• Retention refers to the storage of information in memory.
• Retrieval involves accessing stored information from memory.
• Interference occurs when competing information disrupts memory, and can be proactive, retroactive, or output.
• Emotional arousal can enhance memory, leading to flashbulb memories.

Attachment

• Secure attachment is characterized by a child feeling safe and comfortable with their caregiver, exploring their environment freely.
• Insecure attachment can manifest as anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment styles.
• Bowlby's theory suggests that attachment is an evolved mechanism for survival, with caregivers providing safety and comfort.

Stages of Attachment

• During pre-attachment (0-3 months), the child responds to caregivers but does not differentiate.
• Attachment-in-the-making (4-6 months) involves the child beginning to show a preference for their primary caregiver.
• Clear-cut attachment (7-12 months) is characterized by the child showing a clear attachment to their primary caregiver.

Factors Affecting Attachment

• Sensitive responsiveness from caregivers influences attachment.
• A child's innate personality traits, or temperament, can affect their attachment style.
• The quality of caregiver-child interaction affects attachment security.

Social Influence

• Conformity involves changing behavior to fit in with group norms.
• Obedience involves following orders or instructions from an authority figure.
• Compliance involves yielding to social pressure or persuasion.
• Internalization involves adopting attitudes or beliefs due to social influence.

Factors Affecting Social Influence

• Group size can impact conformity, with larger groups leading to greater conformity.
• Unanimity among group members increases social influence.
• Anonymity can lead to increased conformity due to reduced accountability.
• Perceived authority figures can exert greater social influence.

Psychopathology

• Abnormality can be defined in terms of statistical infrequency, deviation from social norms, failure to function, or distress.
• The biological model suggests that abnormal behavior is due to genetic or physiological factors.
• The behavioral model suggests that abnormal behavior is due to learned behavior or environmental factors.
• The cognitive model suggests that abnormal behavior is due to faulty or maladaptive thinking patterns.
• The humanistic model suggests that abnormal behavior is due to unmet psychological needs or low self-esteem.

Anxiety Disorders

• Phobias involve irrational fears of specific objects or situations.
• Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive and persistent worry.
• Panic disorder involves recurring panic attacks with intense fear or discomfort.