MEMORY

PhDr. Eva Tomešová, PhD.

26th October 2007

Learning and memory

Learning: the process of aquiring new info or skills

Memory: the retention of what you have learned as well as its retrieval for future reference to use

Types of memory

sensory memory short term memory long term memory

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Sensory memory

the momentary lingering of sensory information after a stimulus has been removed

capacity is large (about 20 items) sensory storage system used to start the process of identifying

stimuli, of giving meaning to them

eidetic images

Short term or working memory

contents of our conscious awareness 20 s, limited amount of info selective attention

cocktail party phenomenon encoding

effortful automatic

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Short term, active storage

rehearsal 7 (+;-2) chunking information

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Long-term memory

can store things indefinitely without active effort

procedural memory semantic memory episodic memory

Long term storage

memories are not stored in one location – pattern of activation across a large group of neurons

rehearsal!!!

shallow processing - maintenance rehearsal

deep processing - elaborative rehearsal

Retrieval from long term memory

recognition

recall retrieval cues tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon fixation on wrong answer

Long-term memory performance

mnemonic devices Method of loci Peg word method

use of visual imagery reconstructing context and mood

General strategies

learn and comprehend rather than practice in rote fashion

match context at learning with context of retrieval

few seconds of deliberate encoding help emotional arousal use of retrieval cues frequent short learning is better than long

learning trial store your memories in more than one way

Long-term memory distortions

schemas, expectations, inferences

Memory assessment

Digit-span tests of short-term memory

memory subtest of Amthauer’s Intelligence Structure Test

Rey-Osterrieth’s komplex figure level of perception activity, visuo-motor

control and attention, visual memory