1. The Learning – Retention Controversy
Memory
Stage Analysis
Retention
Learning Retrieval
The Learning – Retention Controversy
Results from the fact that there is no independent test for learning (without also simultaneously studying memory) and vice versa.

2. Electrical Activity of the Neuron
Measures of Retention
Recall – to reproduce from memory materials that were earlier presented.
Examples:
Fill-in question on an exam
Identify suspect by sketch
Electrical Activity of the Neuron

3. Electrical Activity of the Neuron
Measures of Retention
Recall
Free Recall – reproduce the remembered items
in any order
Serial Recall – to be considered correct, items must be recalled in the order in which they were presented
Electrical Activity of the Neuron
- Within the serial recall task we observe one of the most ubiquitous phenomena in all of psychology, “The Serial Position Effect”

4. Electrical Activity of the Neuron
Measures of Retention
Recall
Free Recall – reproduce the remembered items
in any order
Serial Recall – to be considered correct, items must be recalled in the order in which they were presented
Electrical Activity of the Neuron
- Within the serial recall task we observe one of the most ubiquitous phenomena in all of psychology, “The Serial Position Effect”
Let’s Score Our Results!

5. Measures of Retention Recall
“The Magical Number 7 ± 2” George A. Miller
Our ability to recall unrelated pieces of information that have just been presented may be severely limited (e.g., a number series)
Capacity can be extending by imposing organization on the materials we are trying to remember. E.G., “chunking”

6. Measures of Retention Recall
Recognition – identifying information that was previously presented
e.g., a multiple choice test item
a police line-up

7. The Recognition Memory Paradigm
Stage 1 – The TBR Stage
Materials are presented with the explicit instructions that these are materials “to be remembered”
Stage 2 - The Test Stage
TBR items are randomly intermixed with materials that were not part of the originally presented TBR materials
Subject’s task is to identify “Old” from “New”

8. The Ralph Haber Experiment
The stimulus materials were photographic slides taken with a 35mm film camera. Each slide was distinct but commonplace scene. A total of 20,000 slides were taken.
10,000 slides chosen at random were presented each once for 20 seconds with the instructions “try to remember all of the scenes”.
These 10,000 slides were then randomly interspersed with the remaining 10,000 slides that the subject had not previously seen.
Test consisted of 20,000 slides. Subject pressed a button to indicate “saw it before” (Old) or “never saw it before” (New).
DV – the percent correct recognitions during the test stage.

9. The Ralph Haber Experiment Results
George Miller findings – predict an extremely low percent correct score.
Actual result was astounding – 97% accuracy.
Suggests that we are dealing with a dramatically different memory process from that studied by Miller.

10. The STM vs LTM Distinction
Psychologists believe there are two distinct memory processes: STM (Short term memory) probably mediated in the hippocampus, and LTM (Long term memory) residing in the cerebral cortex.
STM includes those things we know that we are actively aware of at the present moment. Information resides here 30 seconds to a few minutes.
LTM includes all those experiences and knowledge elements that we have ever acquired. This information can last a lifetime.

13. Measures of Retention Recall Recognition
Relearning – learning curve for relearning is always steeper than curve for initial learning
Relearning
Initial Learning

14. Measures of Retention Recall Recognition
Relearning – learning curve for relearning is always steeper than curve for initial learning. Improved performance during relearning must be due to memory for the materials being retained.
I - R
I =
Amount of time or number of trials required for initial learning
Amount of time or number of trials required for relearning
Savings = I
R =
E.G.
= .5 = 50%
Savings = 20

15. Nonsense Syllables (Hermann Ebbinghaus)
Ebbinghaus wished to study the verbal learning process without the interference of what subjects previously knew about the materials to be learned.
To do this he created new verbal materials that subjects had no prior experience with (meaningless). The Nonsense Syllable was the result.
The Nonsense Syllable was a string of letters (usually three) that did not spell a word.
BAF
LOD
RIW
WAJ
DOP
Some Examples of CVC Trigrams

16. Are Nonsense Syllables Meaningless?
BNK
DRP
MLK
PLM
SPT
BSF
LGD
RPW
WRJ
DLP
The list on the right is more “meaningful” than the list on the left in that these items have a higher Association Value.
How easily does the item remind us of something that has meaning for us?

17. Factors Affecting Memory
Conditions During Learning
Attention (Greater Attention Greater Retention)
Intentional Learning vs Incidental Learning
Amount of Practice (More Practice Better Retention)
Overlearning – practice beyond criterion
Nature of the Material To Be Remembered
Meaningfulness
Concreteness - Abstractness
Organization
Chunking – Concise encoding of information
Clustering – remembering according to category
Assimilation – perceptions alter memory of object
Mnemonics – memory systems or aids

18. Factors Affecting Memory
Conditions During Learning
Conditions During the Retention Interval
Disuse Theory – Memory is a trace which grows weaker over time
Interference Theory – The amount of time between learning and test for retention is not the important variable, it’s what happens during that interval that matters
Jenkins & Dallenbach Study
Subjects learned lists of materials and then were tested for retention 8 hours later. Subjects that slept during the retention interval (presumably experiencing less interference) remembered better than subjects who remained awake during retention

20. Factors Affecting Memory
Conditions During Learning
Conditions During the Retention Interval
Conditions During Retrieval
Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon
Cued Recall Procedure (Tulving and Pearlstone)
Penfield - Electrical Stimulation of the Temporal Region
Postevent Retrieval Cues (Loftus and Palmer)