Chapter 3 Memory - Psychology Notes PDF

Chapter 3 Memory ?What is memory Memory is not a single process, but rather a group of related mental-process that are involved in acquiring, storing, and retrieving information. Encoding: The process of transforming information into a form that can be entered and retained by the memory system....

Chapter 3 Memory ?What is memory Memory is not a single process, but rather a group of related mental-process that are involved in acquiring, storing, and retrieving information. Encoding: The process of transforming information into a form that can be entered and retained by the memory system. Storage: The process of retaining information in memory so it can be used in a later time. Memory Process  The stage model of memory is a model describing memory as consisting of three distinct stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. It is based on the idea that information is transferred from one memory stage to another. Each memory stage is thought to differ in terms of the following: Capacity: how much information can be stored? Duration: how long the information can be stored? Function: what is done with the stored information? Stage Model of Memory  Sensory Memory Environmental information is registered Large capacity for information Duration: ¼ second to 3 seconds  New information is transferred from sensory memory Old information is retrieved from long-term memory Duration: 30 seconds Short-Term Memory  Information that has been encoded in short-term memory is stored Unlimited capacity for information Duration: Potentially permanent Long-Term Memory Sensory Memory stores a detailed record of a sensory experience, but only for a few seconds at the most. Sensory Memory  Visual Sensory Memory: “Iconic Memory” The brief memory of an image or icon.  Auditory Sensory Memory: “Echoic memory” A brief memory is like an echo.  An important function of sensory memory is to very briefly store sensory impressions so that they overlap slightly with one another. Thus, we perceive the world around us as continuous, rather than as a series of disconnected visual images or disjointed sounds. Types of Sensory Memory  Short-term or working memory provides storage for information transferred from sensory and long-term memory.  It is the stage of memory in which information transferred from sensory memory and information retrieved from long- term memory become conscious  Short-term memory provides temporary storage for information that is currently being used in some conscious cognitive activity.  Information in short-term memory lasts longer than information in sensory memory, but its duration still very short. At best, you can hold most types of information in short-term memory up to 30 seconds before it’s forgotten. However, information can be rehearsed, or repeated over and over. Short-Term Memory Maintenance Rehearsal: The mental or verbal repetition of information in order to maintain it beyond the usual 30-second duration of short-term memory.  George Miller (1956) found that the capacity of short-term memory is limited to about seven items, or bits of information at one time.  Although the capacity of the short-term memory is limited, there are ways to increase the amount of information you can hold at any given moment. Capacity of Short-term Memory  Any information stored longer than the roughly 30 seconds duration of short-term memory is considered to be stored in long-term memory. Some long-term memories can last a lifetime.  The amount of information that can be held in long- term memory is limitless. Elaborative Rehearsal: Rehearsal that involves focusing on the meaning of information to help encode and transfer it to long- term memory. Studies have shown that elaborative rehearsal leads to better retention (Lockhart & Craik, 1990). Long-term Memory Procedural Memory: Category of long-term memory that includes memories of different skills, operations, and actions. Episodic Memory: Category of long-term memory that includes memories of particular event. Semantic Memory: Category of long-term memory that includes memories of general knowledge of facts, names, and concepts. Types of Long-term memory Mood and Memory Your emotional state tends to evoke memories that are consistent with the mood you are experiencing. When you’re in a good mood, happy memories more easily come to mind. When you’re feeling despondent, you’re more likely to recall sad memories. Flashbulb memory The recall of very specific images or details surrounding a vivid, rare, or significant personal event. Although they can seem incredibly vivid, they appear to function just as normal, everyday memories do. We remember some details, forget dome details, and think we remember some details. What seems to distinguish flashbulb memories from ordinary memories is the high degree of confidence the person has in the accuracy of these memories. Source Confusion: A memory distortion that occurs when the true source of the memory is forgotten.  Confusion about the source of a memory is a common cause of false memories. Such false memories can arise when you confuse something you’ve only imagined, heard about, read about, or seen in a film with something that really happened to you. Source Confusion and False Memories Forgetting is the inability to recall information that was previously available. We tend to forget the details of unpleasant memories, such as past failures, social embarrassments, and unhappy relationships. Forgetting Factors that affect forgetting: 1. Encoding Failure: it never got to long-term memory One of the most common reason for forgetting is that we never encoded the information into long-term memory in the first place. Encoding failure explains why you forget where you put your keys or a person’s name five minutes after meeting her. The information momentarily entered your short-term memory, but it was never encoded into long-term memory. ?Why do we forget 2.Interference Theory: Memories interfering with memories According to the interference theory forgetting is caused by one memory competing with or replacing another memory. The most critical factor is the similarity of the information. 3.Decay Theory: The view that forgetting is due to normal metabolic processes that occur in the brain over time.  According to the decay theory, we forget memories because we don’t use them and they fade away over time as a matter of normal brain processes. Amnesia: Sever memory loss. And there are two types of amnesia: 1. Retrograde Amnesia: Loss of memory, especially for episodic information; backward-acting amnesia. People who have retrograde amnesia are unable to remember some or all of their past, especially episodic memories for recent events. It often results from a blow on the head. Boxers sometimes suffer from memory losses after years of fighting. Head injuries from automobiles and motorcycle accidents are another common cause of retrograde amnesia. Processing Memories in the Brain 2. Anterograde Amnesia: Loss of memory caused by the inability to store new memories; forward-acting amnesia. Thank you