Psychology Chapter 7

1. Psychology Chapter 7 Memory

2. Section 1: Three Kinds of Memory • Memory – is the process by which we recollect prior experiences, information, and skills learned in the past • 3 kinds of memory – Episodic, Generic, and Procedural

3. Episodic Memory • Episodic memory – memory of a specific event. The event took place in the person’s presence, or the person experienced an event. • Ex: Last meal, Quiz • Flashbulb memory – recall events in specific details. An event so surprising or significant • Ex: 9/11, first love, an accomplishment.

4. Generic Memory • Generic memory – General Knowledge. You do not know when you attained the knowledge, but you have it. • Ex: George Washington, Basic Math, Alphabet, oxygen.

5. Procedural Memory • Procedural Memory – a skill that you have learned in the past. • Ex. Riding a bicycle, throwing a ball, typing, driving a car. • The skill stays with you for years/maybe life (even if you have not preformed the skill in a long time) • Pg 155 Q 1-3.

6. Section 2: Three Processes of Memory • Three ways humans process information • Encoding • Storage • Retrieval

7. Encoding • Encoding – is the translation of information into a form in which it can be stored • store information in brain. • Most information is received through a physical form (sound/ light). When we encode it, we convert the physical stimulation into psychological forms that can be mentally represented. • Three ways to encode

8. Encoding Continued • Visual Codes – memorize information by trying to form a picture in your mind. • Acoustic Codes – read the information, then repeat to yourself. • Semantic Codes – Make sense of the information. • Definition – relating to meaning. • Ex: make a phrase or sentence out of the information

9. Storage • Storage – second process – maintenance of encoded information. • Maintenance rehearsal – keep saying the information over and over again. Trying not to lose the information – poor way to put information in long term memory. • Ex: phone numbers, Actors.

10. Storage Continued • Elaborative Rehearsal – take new information and relate it to information that is already well known. Effective for long term memory • Ex: using new vocabulary words in sentences

11. Storage Continued • Organizational systems – Memories that you store become organized and arranged in your mind for future use. • Ex: history – chronological order – presidents – what they did. • Filing errors – put information in wrong area (file) or information is not complete on a subject.

12. Retrieval • Retrieval - third process – locating stored information and returning it into conscious thought. • Context-dependent memory – memories that come back to you in a certain place • Ex: swimmer test, school tests, crime scene.

13. Retrieval Continued • State-Dependent Memory – memories that come back to you in an emotional state. • Happy = happy memories • Sad = sad memories • If you learned something in a certain emotional state you will remember it that emotional state. Even on Drugs

14. Retrieval Continued • Tip-of-the-tongue – When you know something but cannot seem to verbalize it. • Person can come up with acoustic/semantic clues. • Ex: songs • Pg. 160 Q 1-4.

15. Section 3: Three Stages of Memory • You do not store every piece of information that you see. • Stages of memory • Sensory Memory • Short Term Memory STM • Long Term Memory LTM

16. Sensory Memory • 1st Stage, immediate, initial recordings of Information that goes through our senses. • Decays within a fraction of a second. • Iconic memory – visual memory – seeing –snapshots. • Eidetic memory – Photographic memory 5% of children have this. Decays with age. • Echoic memory – audio memory – easier than iconic memory.

17. Short Term Memory STM • 2nd stage, this memory last for a couple of seconds. Fades rapidly after that • To get information into your STM you need to pay attention to iconic/echoic memories. • STM is called working memory. You use it a great deal of the time – when you think

18. STM Continued • Primacy effect - easier to recall the initial items in a series of items • See them first and can rehearse more • Recency effect – easier to recall the last items in a series of items. • The items are fresh in your mind

19. STM Continued • Chunking – organization of items into manageable units • EX: phone numbers 123-4567 • Average person can handle 7 items • Few people can remember more than nine • Businesses try to get repeated numbers or spell words. 555-7788/ 786-JOES.

20. STM Continued • STM can only handle so much information at a time. • Interference – when too much information comes in to your STM and replaces old information in your STM.

21. Long Term Memory LTM • 3rd stage and final stage. • Get information in your LTM by using maintenance rehearsal or by elaborative rehearsal. • Your LTM holds more information than a computer. Smell, pictures, touch, taste, and sound.

22. LTM Continued • Capacity – Psychologist said there is no capacity to our LTM. • Memory as Reconstructive – we reconstruct our memories in our own views, using bits and pieces. • Explains different views of the same event.

23. LTM Continued • Schemas – mental representation that we form of the world by organizing bits of information into knowledge. • Wording Ex: poor/welfare • Cars smashed/hit. • Q 1-3 pg 166

24. Section 4: Forgetting and Memory Improvement • Forgetting is the opposite of memory. • You can forget at any of the 3 stages of memory. Sensory, STM, LTM. • Basic memory tasks are: • Recognition • Recall • Relearning

25. Basic Memory Tasks • Recognition – identifying objects or events that have been encountered before. Easy • Ex: multiple choice test. • Recall – Bringing information back to mind. You do this by reconstructing your memories. • Ex: remembering a list of numbers, using pairs. • Memory loss occurs within an hour.

26. Basic Memory Tasks • Relearning – If you forget something, so can relearn it quick. • Ex: Math problems from high school.

27. Different Kinds of Forgetting • Interference – too much information in STM • Decay – fading away of a memory • Repression – when you push out painful, unpleasant, and disturbing memories that make us feel anxious, guilt, or shame. • Controversial in the psychology world.

28. Different ways of Forgetting (Amnesia) • Amnesia – severe memory loss caused by brain injury, shock, fatigue, illness, or repression • Infantile Amnesia – when you cannot remember information your early childhood. (before 6 years old) Episodic. • Why: repression because of boring memories. Brain is undeveloped. No language skills.

29. Amnesia • Antergrade Amnesia – memory loss from trauma that prevents a person from forming new memories • Ex: blow to the head, brain surgery, electric shock • Retrograde Amnesia – is when people forget the time period leading up to an traumatic event. • Ex: sports injury, car accidents.

30. Improving Memory • Drill and practice – repeat information until you memorize it. • Ex: flash cards, saying information aloud. • Relate to things you know – helps because you think deeply about the new and old material • Ex: spelling, world languages.

31. Improving Memory • Form unusual associations – make things humorous/ think outside the box. • Ex: sn = tin. Snake in a tin can haha. Number of rooms in a house = the peoples names living in the house. • Construct links between information • Mnemonic devices – systems for remembering information • Ex. Never eat shredded wheat , HOMES, roy g. biv.