Processes -
1. Encoding:
How memories
are formed
2. Storage:
How memories
are kept over
time
3. Retrieval:
How memories
are recovered
and translated
into
performance
Sensory : Capacity to
preserve sensory
information in its
original form for ¼ of a
second.
–Partial report
(Sperling) - Classic
experiment on
visual sensory store
- Tone cues
participants which
row to report- Tone
comes after the
array is gone
-Much larger
percent recalled,
regardless of which
row
Short-Term Memory Capacity - George Miller - Number of items that can be
recalled from short-term memory, in order, on half of the tested memory trials is
about 7 plus or minus 2 items . Cowan that prevents subjects from chunking
and rehearsing information shows it is likely 4 plus or minus 1.
DIFFERENCES - Maintenance
rehearsal – just done to keep it in
memory. Elaborative rehearsal –
think more about it so you are
more likely to remember it later.
.Long Term Memory- Unlimited capacity
store that can hold information for days,
weeks or years. Can be permanent.
ROLES -
•Conceptual
Hierarchies:
multilevel
classification
system
•Schemas: An
organized
cluster of
knowledge
about a
particular object
or event which
we understand
from previous
experience
•Semantic
Networks
• Nodes
represent
concepts and are
joined to related
concepts See
MEMORIES -
Flashbulb memories
- vivid and detailed
recollections of
momentous events.
Recent research
shows they may not
be permanent and
accurate.
Memories can often be
jogged with retrieval
cues. One type of
retrieval cue is called
context cues.
Reinstating the context
e.g. crimestopers
DIFFERENCES - Implicit Memory
– remembering something you did
not intend to memorize. Explicit
Memory – intentionally
remembering something.
Declarative memory system handles
factual information like definitions
of words, math concepts, faces,
dates. Procedural Memory system –
memory for actions, skills and
conditioned responses.
Semantic – general facts & Episodic – personal facts and experiences.
Prospective memory refers to recalling something you must do in the
future retrospective memory – refers to remembering past events or
facts
Devices to improve memory - Distributed practice - Don’t try
to remember everything at one time -- don’t cram. Acrostics -
First letter of words in a sentence Every Good Boy Does Fine
to remember the names of the lines on a musical staff .
Acronyms - You make up a word from the first letter of
information you need to remember . Narrative Methods - make
a story or song . Rhymes - Thirty days hath September .
FORGETTING - Ebbinghaus memorized 420 lists of
these syllables and tested his memory after various
time periods. Then he slowly started forgetting as time
passed. So he concluded that most forgetting occurs
right after learning something. This is called forgetting
currve.
The three principal methods of measuring forgetting and
retention are 1) recall, 2) recognition, and 3) relearning.