1. Remembering & Forgetting
Module 12
Remembering & Forgetting

2. ORGNIZATION OF MEMORIES
Network theory of memory organization
theory says that we store related ideas in separate categories, or files, called nodes
Associations
linking of nodes or categories of ideas together by making associations or mental roads between new information and old information that was previously stored
Network
thousands of interconnected nodes, which form an enormous cognitive network for arranging and storing files

3. p262 NORMAN TRAIN OF THOUGHT

4. ORGNIZATION OF MEMORIES (CONT.)
Organization of network hierarchy
refers to the arrangement of nodes or memory files in a certain order or hierarchy
bottom of the hierarchy are nodes with very concrete information, which are connected to nodes with somewhat more specific information, which in turn are connected to nodes with general or abstract information

5. FORGETTING CURVES Unfamiliar and uninteresting
forgetting curve measures the amount of previously learned information that subjects can recall or recognize
Familiar and interesting
remembering is partly related to how familiar or interesting the information is

6. REASONS FOR FORGETTING
Overview: forgetting
refers to the inability to retrieve, recall, or recognize information that was stored or is still stored in long-term memory
Repression
according to Freud, repression is a mental process that automatically hides emotionally threatening or anxiety-producing information in the unconscious, from which repressed memories cannot be recalled voluntarily, but something may cause them to enter consciousness at a later time

7. REASONS FOR FORGETTING (CONT.)
Overview: forgetting
poor retrieval cues/poor encoding
retrieval cues are mental reminders that we create by forming vivid mental images or creating associations between new information and information we already know
Interference
common reason for forgetting
recall of some particular memory is blocked or prevented by other related memories

8. REASONS FOR FORGETTING (CONT.)
Overview: forgetting
Amnesia
may be temporary or permanent, is loss of memory that may occur after a blow or damage to the brain or after disease
Distortion
we misremember something due to memory distortions caused by bias or suggestibility

9. REASONS FOR FORGETTING (CONT.)
Interference
Proactive interference
occurs when old information (learned earlier) blocks or disrupts the remembering of related new information (learned later)
Retroactive interference
occurs when new information (learned later) blocks or disrupts the retrieval of related old information (learned earlier)

10. REASONS FOR FORGETTING (CONT.)
Retrieval cues
mental reminders that you create by forming vivid mental images of information, or associating new information with information that you already know
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
refers to having a strong feeling that a particular word can be recalled, but despite making a great effort, we are temporarily unable to recall this particular information

11. BIOLOGICAL BASES OF MEMORY
Location of memories in the brain
cortex
Short term memories
ability to hold words, facts, and events in short-term memory depends on activity in the cortex
Long term memory
ability to remember or recall songs, words, facts, and events for days, months, or years depends on areas widely spread throughout the cortex

12. p268 AREAS BRAIN INVOLVED MEMORY

13. BIOLOGICAL BASES OF MEMORY (CONT.)
Location of memories in the brain
Amygdala: emotional memories
the amygdala, located in the tip of the temporal lobe receives input from all the senses and is associated with emotional memory
Hippocampus: transferring memories
transfers words, facts, and personal events from short-term memory into permanent long-term memory

14. BIOLOGICAL BASES OF MEMORY (CONT.)
Making a short-term memory
Neural assemblies
groups of interconnected neurons whose activation allows information or stimuli to be recognized and held briefly and temporarily in short-term memory

15. p269 NEURAL ASSEMBLY MEMORY

16. BIOLOGICAL BASES OF MEMORY (CONT.)
Making a long-term memory
Long-term potentiation (LTP)
refers to change in the structure and function of neurons after they have been repeatedly stimulated
neuroscientists believe that the LTP process, which changes the structure and function of neurons, is the most likely basis for learning and memory in animals and humans

17. MNEMONICS: MEMORIZATION METHODS
Improving your memory
Mnemonic methods
ways to improve encoding and create better retrieval cues by forming vivid associations or images, which improve recall.
Method of loci
encoding technique that creates visual associations between already memorized places and new items to be memorized
Peg method
encoding technique that creates associations between number-word rhymes and items to be memorized