MemoryChapter Seven

Memory The process by which we recollect prior

experiences and information and skills learned in the past

Three Kinds of memorySection One

Different types1. Episodic: a memory of a specific event

o Example: a first date

o When we can remember specific details, it is called a flashbulb memory

2. Semantic or Generic: the general knowledge that we remember although we do not know when we first learned the materialo Includes historical facts and our ABCs

3. Implicit or Procedural: includes the skills we have learnedo For example, riding a bike

Sometimes, one event can be a combination of more than one kind of memory.

Can you think of an example?

Three Processes of MemorySection Two

Regardless of the process we use, most include three basic steps: encoding, storing, and retrieving the information.

Encoding How we put the information into a form

it can be stored in Visual Codes: remembering by creating a

picture in your mind Acoustic Codes: remember by repeating

the information to yourself Semantic Codes: remembering the

information by creating some type of order out of it; creating a phrase out of the letters

Storageo How we maintain the information over

time so we don’t lose ito Maintenance Rehearsal: repeating

information over and over againo Elaborative Rehearsal: make the

information meaningful by relating it to something we already know

o Organizational Systems: we organize information just as though our memory was a large file cabinet

o Filing Errors: everyone has breakdowns in memory at various times and for various reasons

Retrieval Returning stored information to

conscious thought

Retrieving Our Memories

Context-Dependent Memory Memory retrieval depends on the

situation in which we first remembered the information

One study suggests if you study in the room where you take a test, you do better than those that studied elsewhere

State-Dependent Memory There is thought that our mood

influences our memory We will remember information when we

are in the same mood that we first remembered it in

On the Tip of the Tongue There are instances in which

we know the information but cannot bring it out Often we will say words that

may be similar to try to trigger our memory

When I cannot think of a person’s name, I go through the alphabet…when I hit the letter of the first name, I usually remember it!

Three Stages of MemorySection Three

Sensory Memory Stage One What we sense—see, hear, taste, feel,

or smell, is only kept for a fraction of a second

The ability to have eidetic imagery (a photographic memory) declines with age

Short-Term Memory Stage Two Also called working memory What we’re trying to actively

remember is stored in our short-term memory

We have to rehearse the information to keep it in our short term memory

Long-Term Memory The third and final stage We have to take steps to put stuff in our

long-term memory Mechanical repetition: maintenance

rehearsal Relating information to stuff we already

know: elaborative rehearsal Psychologists are unaware of limits to

our long-term memory

Forgetting and Memory Improvement

Section Four

Basic Memory Tasks1. Recognition: the easiest task, identifying

that we have remembered something in the past

2. Recall: not only recognizing that we have come into contact with some information, but actually being able to call the information back into our mind

3. Relearning: we are often able to remember something we thought we forgot after a brief lesson (like speaking a foreign language)

Types of Forgetting1. Interference: old memories are replaced by

new ones2. Decay: when a memory fades away3. Repression: pushing certain memories out of

our consciousness4. Amnesia: severe memory loss caused by

injury, shock, fatigue, illness, or repression; infantile amnesia refers to the fact that we don’t remember things from when we were infants

Improving Memory1. Drill and Practice: go over the information to

be remembered over and over again2. Relate the information to something you

already know3. Form Unusual Associations: sometimes a

strange association will trigger our memory4. Construct links between what you are having

trouble remembering and something that is more easily remembered

5. Use Mnemonic Devices