1. MEMORY

2. What is MEMORY? Definition – internal record of some prior
event or experience
- set of mental processes that
receives, encodes, stores,
organizes, alters, and
retrieves information over time

3. Kinds of Memory Episodic Memory: memory of a specific event
event is “etched” in mind
Example day you got married
Semantic Memory:
factual information
do not remember when we learned it
Example learning your ABC’s
Implicit Memory:
skills or techniques learned
once learned, stay with you
for years to come
Example how to ride a bike

4. Flashbulb Memories Definition – memory of a significant event
which has emotional ties to it
- can remember it like “it was yesterday”
Where were you when you first heard:
That JFK was shot and killed?
That The WTC had been crashed into?
That the Browns won the Super Bowl?

5. Three Stages of Memory Stage 1 - Sensory Memory
- brief representation of a
stimulus while being
processed in the senses
- iconic (eyes/snapshots)
- eidetic (eyes/photographic)
- echoic (ears/sounds)
Stage 2 - Short-Term Memory (STM)
- is working memory
- limited capacity (7 items)
- duration is about 30 seconds
Stage 3 - Long-Term Memory (LTM)
- large in capacity
- long duration

6. The Memory Model

7. Integrated Model Concepts
Three Processes of Memory
Integrated Model Concepts
Encoding – process of translating info into neural codes (language) that will be retained in memory
Storage – the process of retaining neural coded info over time
Retrieval – the process of recovering info from memory storage

8. Integrated Model of Memory

9. Organization of Memory
Retrieval Cue – a clue or prompt that helps stimulate recall and retrieval of a stored piece of information from long-term memory
Two Types:
1. Recognition ability to recognize previously
encountered items/experiences
2. Recall ability to remember information of
experiences

10. Memory Measures
Recognition is when a specific cue (face or name) is matched against LTM
Recall is when a general cue is used to search memory
Relearning - situation where person learns material a second time.
Quicker to learn material 2nd time

11. Tip-of the Tongue Phenomenon:
- person can’t easily recall the item, but shows some recall for its characteristics (“…it begins with the letter ….”)

12. Anatomy of Memory
Amygdala: located in temporal lobe & associated with memory, emotions, & aggression
Basal Ganglia & Cerebellum: memory for skills, habits and Classical Conditioned responses
Hippocampus: memory recognition, spatial, episodic memory, long-term memories
Thalamus: formation of new memories and working memories
Cortical Areas: encoding of facts, storage of episodic/semantic memories, skill learning, priming.

13. Forgetting Definition: the inability to recall previously
learned information
- Forgetting rate is steep just after learning and then becomes a gradual loss of recall

14. Theories of Forgetting
Proactive Interference:
- old information interferes
w/recall of new information
Retroactive Interference:
new information interferes
with recall of old
Decay Theory:
- memory trace fades w/time
Motivated Forgetting:
-involves loss of painful memories (protective memory loss)
Retrieval Failure:
information is still within LTM,
but cannot be recalled because
retrieval cue is absent

15. Serial Position Effect
Recall several hours
after learning
Recall immediately
after learning
LTM
Recall from Recall from
LTM STM
Primacy Effect – remembering stuff at beginning of list better than middle
Recency Effect – remembering stuff at the end of list better than middle

16. Distributed practice leads to better retention
Study Strategies
Distributed Practice:
- refers to spacing
learning periods
Massed Practice:
- refers to learning
that is “crammed”
into a single session
VS.
Distributed practice leads to better retention

17. Memory Strategies Mnemonic Devices:
- strategies to improve memory by organizing information
Method of Loci: ideas are associated with
a place or part of a
building
Peg-Word system: peg words associated
with ideas
(e.g. “one is a bun”)
Word Associations: verbal associations are
created for items to be
learned

18. Amnesia Definition: forgetting produced by brain injury or by trauma
Two Types:
Retrograde Amnesia: problems with recall of information prior to a trauma
Anterograde Amnesia: problems with recall of information after a trauma
Anterograde Amnesia
Retrograde Amnesia
Point of Trauma

19. Issues in Memory Reasons for inaccuracy of memory:
Source Amnesia: attribution of a memory to the wrong source (e.g. a dream is recalled as an actual event)
Sleeper Effect: a piece of information from an unreliable source is initially discounted, but is recalled after the source has been forgotten
Misinformation Effect: we incorporate outside information into our own memories