memory chapter seven. memory the process by which we recollect prior experiences and information...
TRANSCRIPT
Memory The process by which we recollect prior
experiences and information and skills learned in the past
Different types1. Episodic: a memory of a specific event
o Example: a first date
o When we can remember specific details, it is called a flashbulb memory
2. Semantic or Generic: the general knowledge that we remember although we do not know when we first learned the materialo Includes historical facts and our ABCs
3. Implicit or Procedural: includes the skills we have learnedo For example, riding a bike
Sometimes, one event can be a combination of more than one kind of memory.
Can you think of an example?
Regardless of the process we use, most include three basic steps: encoding, storing, and retrieving the information.
Encoding How we put the information into a form
it can be stored in Visual Codes: remembering by creating a
picture in your mind Acoustic Codes: remember by repeating
the information to yourself Semantic Codes: remembering the
information by creating some type of order out of it; creating a phrase out of the letters
Storageo How we maintain the information over
time so we don’t lose ito Maintenance Rehearsal: repeating
information over and over againo Elaborative Rehearsal: make the
information meaningful by relating it to something we already know
o Organizational Systems: we organize information just as though our memory was a large file cabinet
o Filing Errors: everyone has breakdowns in memory at various times and for various reasons
Context-Dependent Memory Memory retrieval depends on the
situation in which we first remembered the information
One study suggests if you study in the room where you take a test, you do better than those that studied elsewhere
State-Dependent Memory There is thought that our mood
influences our memory We will remember information when we
are in the same mood that we first remembered it in
On the Tip of the Tongue There are instances in which
we know the information but cannot bring it out Often we will say words that
may be similar to try to trigger our memory
When I cannot think of a person’s name, I go through the alphabet…when I hit the letter of the first name, I usually remember it!
Sensory Memory Stage One What we sense—see, hear, taste, feel,
or smell, is only kept for a fraction of a second
The ability to have eidetic imagery (a photographic memory) declines with age
Short-Term Memory Stage Two Also called working memory What we’re trying to actively
remember is stored in our short-term memory
We have to rehearse the information to keep it in our short term memory
Long-Term Memory The third and final stage We have to take steps to put stuff in our
long-term memory Mechanical repetition: maintenance
rehearsal Relating information to stuff we already
know: elaborative rehearsal Psychologists are unaware of limits to
our long-term memory
Basic Memory Tasks1. Recognition: the easiest task, identifying
that we have remembered something in the past
2. Recall: not only recognizing that we have come into contact with some information, but actually being able to call the information back into our mind
3. Relearning: we are often able to remember something we thought we forgot after a brief lesson (like speaking a foreign language)
Types of Forgetting1. Interference: old memories are replaced by
new ones2. Decay: when a memory fades away3. Repression: pushing certain memories out of
our consciousness4. Amnesia: severe memory loss caused by
injury, shock, fatigue, illness, or repression; infantile amnesia refers to the fact that we don’t remember things from when we were infants
Improving Memory1. Drill and Practice: go over the information to
be remembered over and over again2. Relate the information to something you
already know3. Form Unusual Associations: sometimes a
strange association will trigger our memory4. Construct links between what you are having
trouble remembering and something that is more easily remembered
5. Use Mnemonic Devices