Cognitive Processes PSY 334

1. Cognitive ProcessesPSY 334 Chapter 5 – Abstraction of Information into Memory

2. Demos • Features of a penny • Eidetic imagery

3. Wanner’s Experiment • People do not remember exact wording. • Wanner’s experiment: • Two sentences differ in style • Two sentences differ in meaning • Subjects warned or not warned to pay attention to style • Memory is better for changes in wording that affect meaning. • Warning only helps memory for style.

4. Memory for Visual Information • Memory for pictures is very strong and better than for words. • Mandler’s study – token vs type changes. • Type = meaning • Token = detail • Type changes were easier to identify than token. • Picture memory depends on meaning.

5. Droodles • Bower, Karlin & Dueck presented droodles with or without their captions. • Subjects given labels were able to redraw them with 70% accuracy. • Subjects without labels were 51% accurate. • Memory depended on meaningful interpretation.

6. Retention of Detail • Perceptual detail is encoded but quickly forgotten. • Gernsbacher’s picture reversals: • 10 sec delay = 79% accuracy • 10 min delay = 57% accuracy. • Anderson’s story sentences: • Immediate test = 99% correct • 2 min delay = 56% correct • Delay does not affect meaning accuracy.

7. Implications • Memory is enhanced if people can attach meaning to material. • Loud and fast rehearsal doesn’t work. • Meaningless words can be better remembered by adding meaning: • DAX is like “DAD” • GIB is first part of “gibberish” • KA6PCG