Cognitive Psychology II - MemoryThe Big Picture

• Memory as Information Processing• Stages and Events of Memory

• Effortful Memory -When we are trying to learn and remember

• Memory Without Awareness - When we remember things we do not realize we remember

• The Fragility of Memory - Our memories are often a distorted view of reality

Stages of Memory

Stages of Memory

Effortful Memory

• How much do we retain?• Not much for long in short-term memory

• How much do we retain?• Not much for long in short-term memory• We forget much of what we learn

Effortful Memory (cont.)

• How much do we retain?• Not much for long in short-term memory• We forget much of what we learn• We can relearn it fairly quickly however

Effortful Memory (cont.)

• How much do we retain?• Not much for long in short-term memory• We forget much of what we learn• We can relearn it fairly quickly however

• Cues that influence memory• Semantic cues are helpful

Effortful Memory (cont.)

• How much do we retain?• Not much for long in short-term memory• We forget much of what we learn• We can relearn it fairly quickly however

• Cues that influence memory• Semantic cues are helpful• Cues related to the self are even better• Context effects increase memory - mood and

place of learning as memory cues

Effortful Memory (cont.)

Effortful Memory (cont.)

• Interference in Memory - Learning names and learning Spanish after learning French

• Interference in Memory - Learning names and learning Spanish after learning French

• Strategies to Improve Memory• Mnemonics• Chunking

Effortful Memory (cont.)

Memory Without Awareness

• Research with Amnesiacs• Procedural memory• Despite having no knowledge that they have

learned, people can learn• It doesn’t only happen with amnesiacs - the

famous names study

Clinical Psychology I - Psychological Disorders

• Anxiety Disorders• Mood Disorders • Psychotic Disorders• Dissociative Disorders• Personality Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

• Phobias

Anxiety Disorders

• Phobias • Generalized Anxiety Disorder/Panic Disorder

• Panic Attacks

Anxiety Disorders

• Phobias • Generalized Anxiety Disorder/Panic Disorder

• Panic Attacks• Agoraphobia

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder• Repetitive Thoughts• Repetitive Behaviours

Common Obsessions and Compulsions

Explaining Anxiety Disorders

• Psychoanalytic Perspective • Little Hans as an example

• Learning Perspective• Little Albert as an example

• The Social Cognitive Perspective• Observational Learning

• The Biological Perspective• Why do phobias fall into natural categories

Phobias and Scary Things

Mood Disorders

• Major Affective Disorder• poor appetite• insomnia• feelings of worthlessness• loss of interest in others

Mood Disorders

• Major Affective Disorder• poor appetite• insomnia• feelings of worthlessness• loss of interest in others

• Bipolar Disorder• High and Lows• Lows like Major Depression• Highs they have euphoria, grandiosity,

agitation, and pressured speech

Gender Differences in Depression

Explanations of Mood Disorders

• Psychoanalytic • Anger Inward

• Biological• Genetic Influences• Brain Neurotransmitters

• Social-Cognitive• Attributions for failure as stable, global,

internal• Vicious cycle of negative moods and thoughts

Vicious Cycle of Depression

Psychotic Disorders - Schizophrenia

• Disorganize Thinking• Delusions

• Disturbed Perceptions• Auditory hallucinations

• Inappropriate Emotions and Actions• Social Withdrawal• Types of Schizophrenia

• Positive Symptoms• Negative Symptoms

Types of Schizophrenia

Explanations of Schizophrenia

• Psychoanalytic - Overflowing of the irrational unconscious

• Biological• Genetic Influences• Brain Neurotransmitters

• Social Cognitive - the stress diathesis model

Dissociative Disorders

• Fugue - A person disappears and becomes someone else

• Dissociative Identity Disorder - (a.k.a. Multiple Personality Disorder) - Several distinct ‘persons’ that share the same body

Explanations of Dissociative Disorders

• It is real• Distinct brain activity with different

personalities• It is a way to cope with anxiety

• Psychoanalytic, learning theorists fit here• May be the result of severe abuse as a child

• It is not real• Social phenomena perhaps created by hypnosis

in therapy• 2 cases per decade 1930-1960; 20,000 cases in

the 1980s

Personality Disorders

• Antisocial Personality Disorder• Not aroused or upset by acts that are immoral

and hurt others• Several famous criminals fit this profile

Personality Disorders

• Antisocial Personality Disorder• Not aroused or upset by acts that are immoral

and hurt others• Several famous criminals fit this profile

• Histrionic, Narcissistic and Borderline Personality Disorder - impulsive, dramatic, and defensive style

• Avoidant Personality Disorder - high anxiety causes social withdrawal

• Schizoid Personality Disorder - eccentric behaviour and social withdrawal