Memory theroists:Memory theroists:

Ebbinghaus and Craik & LockhartEbbinghaus and Craik & Lockhart

EbbinghausEbbinghaus Influential early memory theoristInfluential early memory theorist Amount remembered depends on the time Amount remembered depends on the time

spent learningspent learning OverlearningOverlearning increases retention increases retention Spacing EffectSpacing Effect: we retain information : we retain information

better when our rehearsal is distributed better when our rehearsal is distributed over timeover time Steady studying is better than crammingSteady studying is better than cramming

Ebbinghaus Memory TestEbbinghaus Memory Test

Study these words, without writing them Study these words, without writing them down, to remember as many as possibledown, to remember as many as possible

MilkMilk TeaTea Beef BeefCoffeeCoffee RaisinsRaisins Juice JuiceCheeseCheese ChickenChicken Apples ApplesPretzelsPretzels CeleryCelery Bread Bread

Ebbinghaus Memory TestEbbinghaus Memory Test

Now write as many of the items as you Now write as many of the items as you can on your list.can on your list.

How many did you get? (there were 12)How many did you get? (there were 12) How many people remembered Milk? How many people remembered Milk?

Bread? Cheese? Apples?Bread? Cheese? Apples? Serial Position EffectSerial Position Effect: Recalling the first & : Recalling the first &

last items on a list bestlast items on a list best

Encoding and AttentionEncoding and Attention

If you are not paying attention to If you are not paying attention to something now, you will not be able to something now, you will not be able to remember it later.remember it later.

It is difficult to pay attention to more than It is difficult to pay attention to more than one thing at a timeone thing at a time

Attention is like a filter which screens out Attention is like a filter which screens out most stimuli but focuses on a selected most stimuli but focuses on a selected fewfew

Craik & Lockhart memory Craik & Lockhart memory testtest

Follow the directions on your slip of Follow the directions on your slip of paperpaper

Craik & Lockhart Levels Craik & Lockhart Levels of Processing (1972)of Processing (1972)

Incoming information can be processed at Incoming information can be processed at different levels:different levels:

Level of Level of ProcessingProcessing

Type of Type of EncodingEncoding ExampleExample

ShallowShallow StructuralStructural Is the word in capital Is the word in capital letters?letters?

IntermediateIntermediate PhonemicPhonemic Does the word rhyme Does the word rhyme with weight?with weight?

DeepDeep SemanticSemanticWould the word fit in the Would the word fit in the sentence “He met a sentence “He met a ______ on the street”?______ on the street”?

Craik & Lockhart Levels Craik & Lockhart Levels of Processing (1972)of Processing (1972) As in our experiment in class, Craik & As in our experiment in class, Craik &

Lockhart directed subjects to pay attention Lockhart directed subjects to pay attention to different attributes of the stimulus wordsto different attributes of the stimulus words

They found that information processed at They found that information processed at a deeper level will be remembered bettera deeper level will be remembered better

Criticisms: Too vague; not objective Criticisms: Too vague; not objective enoughenough What is a “level” of processing?What is a “level” of processing? How do we determine whether one level is How do we determine whether one level is

deeper than another?deeper than another?