General Psychology General Psychology (PY110)(PY110)Chapter 5 Memory

SensorySensory Short-TermShort-Term Long-TermLong-Term

Split Second

30 Second

s

Forever

Limited Capacity

Limited Duration

Increasing Short Term Increasing Short Term MemoryMemoryGoal= Short term Long

Term Maintenance Rehearsal

◦repeating information in short-term memory to keep in from fading from short-term memory

Chunking◦a strategy for making more efficient

use of short-term memory by recoding information

Information Processing Information Processing SystemSystem

EncodingThe process of

transferring information from one memory

stage to the next

EncodingThe process of

transferring information from one memory

stage to the next

Storage The process of

maintaining information in a particular

stage

Storage The process of

maintaining information in a particular

stage

RetrievalThe process of bringing stored

information from long-term memory to the conscious level

in short-term memory

RetrievalThe process of bringing stored

information from long-term memory to the conscious level

in short-term memory

Encoding FailureEncoding FailureEncoding failure theory says

that sometimes forgetting is not really forgetting, but rather that the information never entered long-term memory in the first place.

Now an example of encoding failure…

An Example of Encoding An Example of Encoding FailureFailure

Methods for Improving Methods for Improving EncodingEncodingMnemonics:

◦ Useful for remembering lists of items, especially ordered lists, especially ordered lists, speeches, and long passages of text.

Spacing (Distributed)effect:◦ Superior long term

memory for spaced study versus massed study (cramming).

Methods of RetrievalMethods of Retrieval

RecallRecall

Primary Effect and Recency Primary Effect and Recency EffectEffectPrimacy

Recency In the same list the recall of the words at the end of the list will also be superior

Ebbinghaus Curve for Ebbinghaus Curve for ForgettingForgetting

Theories of ForgettingTheories of ForgettingInterference Theory

◦Proposes that other information interferes and makes the forgotten information inaccessible.

There are two types of interference…

Types of InterferenceTypes of InterferenceProactive

interference occurs when information you already know makes it hard to retrieve newly learned information

Retroactive interference occurs when information you just learned makes it hard to retrieve old information

Proactive and Retroactive Proactive and Retroactive

Storage Decay TheoryStorage Decay Theorysuggests that

forgetting occurs because of a problem in the storage of the information◦The biological trace

of the memory gradually decays over time and the periodic usage of the information will help to maintain it in storage

PsychoanalyticPsychoanalyticRepression

◦Unknowingly placing an unpleasant memory or thought in the unconscious.

Not remembering a traumatic incident in

which you witnessed a crime.