Memory

Analogy: Encoding - record on disk Storage - store DVD in a drawer Retrieval - play the disk back on a DVD player Bad/inaccurate bc it implies we record memories w 100% accuracy

Pleasant/unpleasant – emotionally charged words (esp positive ones) generally remembered better Emotional valence: describes the extent to which an event/stim is pleasant or unpleasant

1) Encoding: perceptions –> memory 2) Storage: info held in a way that allows it to be retrieved 3) Retrieval: bring to mind info that’s alr been encoded and stored

Sensory store –> Short term store (STM) –> Long term store (LTM) • ATTENTION causes events to go from sensory store to STM • REHEARSAL of memories in STM helps facilitate ENCODING which transfers it to the LTM

Craik & Tulving 1975 (Shallow) Physical encoding: structure of the word (e.g. is the word written in capital letters?) Acoustic encoding: how the word/concept sounds (e.g. does the word rhyme with another word?) Semantic encoding: what the word/concept means (e.g. is the word a type of plant?) (Deep)

Semantic encoding: relating new info to knowledge alr stored in memory in a meaningful way Visual imagery encoding: stores new info by converting it into mental pics; reqs lots of cog effort to use successfully –> may not be practical Organizational encoding: categorizing info according to the relationships btw series of items

Found that words processed semantically had the highest accurate recall rate, phonological/acoustic second, structural third

• Encoding strategies used to improve memory for large amounts of info • Usually involves some memorized cues (e.g. u can memorize the orientation of north south east west by remembering the mnemonic Never Eat Soggy Waffles)

• holds sensory info for a few secs or less • Includes iconic and echoic memory

Iconic: fast-decaying store of VISUAL info – decays in 1 sec or less Echoic: fast-decaying store of auditory info – decays in ~5 secs **Can remember by thinking that “echo” has to do w hearing

• Holds nonsensory info for ~20 secs • Limited in terms of both how MUCH info we can hold and how LONG we can hold it • Can hold ~7 chunks of info (info grouped together into a meaningful unit, like letters/words) • We can bring memories from LTM into STM if presently required

Keeping info in STM by mentally repeating it

• First and last few items of a list more likely to be remembered than the first once • Primacy and recency effects

Primacy effect: enhanced recall of FIRST few items Recency effect: enhanced recall of LAST few items

Primary effect – found by adding delay btw viewing of list and recall task

• Manipulation of info in STM for certain task (e.g. recalling phone number) • Baddeley & Hitch 1974 model • Effect of WM on cog func still being studied

• 2 systems (visuospatial sketchpad and phonological loop) feed into episodic buffer (integrates info) • Central executive coordinates subsystems and episodic buffer

Visuospatial sketchpad: visual images Phonological loop: verbal info

• Holds info for hours, days, weeks, years • No known capacity limit

Consolidation: process where memories become stable in the brain - Sleep, rehearsal, etc can help w consolidation Reconsolidation: update of previously consolidated memory - disrupting reconsolidation can reduce traumatic memories

• Removed hippocampus –> lost ability to form new explicit memories (anterograde amnesia) • Had difficulty transferring explicit memories from STM to LTM • IMPORTANT: Could still form new procedural memories

Implicit memory: memories you must demonstrate by doing Explicit memories: memories you can verbalize

Not consciously recalled, but its presence is “implied” by our actions (e.g. how to ride a bike) Procedural memory, priming, classical conditioning, non-associative learning

The gradual acquisition of skills as the result of practice Note: procedural memory not reliant on hippocampus –> ppl without hippo can still acquire new skills