Module 23

1. Module 23 Studying and building memories

2. What type of memory is it? • Recall (fill in the blank) • Recognition (multiple choice) • Relearning – learning things more quickly the second time – it comes back to you quicker than it took to originally learn it. • Encoding – put it in a language you can understand • Storage – filing it away for future retrieval/use • Retrieval – pulling the information out to use it

3. Sensory memory (fleeting) • Short-term memory • Long-term memory • Working memory (linking new info with previously stored information – like an active desktop • ************************************* • Types of memory (p. 316) • Space – remembering where on a page info is located • Time – remembering sequence of events – retrace steps • Frequency – remembering that something has happened repeatedly today without consciously noting it at the time.

4. Encoding and effortful processing - • How much can be stored in short term memory? Approximately 5-7 bits of information. • About 7 digits • About six letters • About 5 words • Obviously working memory capacity varies. • Sensory Memory (momentary image or echo of sound) feeds working memory. • Iconic Memory • Fleeting sensory memory of visual stimuli. • Echoic Memory • fleeting memory for auditory stimuli.

5. Hey – pay attention to this! • Whatever our age, our brains do a better job – work more efficiently – when focused, without distractions, one task at a time. • (I think I have mentioned this before – be sure, you will hear it again!) • Remember FISH?

6. Effortful Processing Strategies - • Chunking – organizing information into familiar, manageable units – it is more effective when personally meaningful. • Mnemonics – using imagery – mental pictures – better when concrete/visualizable rather than nonsense/abstract. • Hierarchies - grouped into categories – outlines – headings & details • Distributed Practice – spacing effect vs. massed practice (cramming) – repeated self-testing – (testing effect)

7. Shallow processing vs. Deep processing • Sound vs. Meaning • More meaningful processing – better chance of retention • Make the material personally meaningful – (I try to help here.) • You can do this as you read/study – relate it to your own experience • Self-reference effect is particularly true for Western cultures. • The point to remember here: The amount remembered depends both on the time spent learning and on your making it meaningful for deep processing.