1. Memory Components, Forgetting, and Strategies
Chapter 10
Memory Components, Forgetting, and Strategies
Concept: Memory storage and retrieval influence motor skill learning and performance

2. Memory Structure Definition of memory: Our capacity to remember
Tulving (1985) - Memory is the capacity that permits organisms to benefit from past experiences
Memory structure comprised of two functional systems
Working memory
Long-term memory
Memory functions
Storage of information
Retrieval of information
System specific functions

3. Two-Component Memory Model
Working Memory
Sub-systems:
Phonological loop
Visuospatial sketchpad
Central executive
Long-Term Memory
Sub-systems:
Procedural memory
Semantic memory
Episodic memory

4. Working Memory (WM)
Memory system associated with sensory, perceptual, attentional, and short-term memory processes
Involved in all situations requiring temporary use and storage of information
Function: Enables people to respond according to the demands of a “right now” situation
Critical role in decision making, problem solving, movement planning and execution
Interacts with long-term memory
Interactive workspace

5. Three Types of Memory Systems in Working Memory
Phonological loop – inner ear, inner voice
Visuospatial sketchpad – mind’s eye
Central executive – coordinated the information in working memory

6. Working Memory Storing of Information
Duration:
Maintains information for sec. before losing parts of info
See Adams & Dijkstra (1966) experiment
Capacity
Can store ~ 7 items (+/- 2)
Person can increase capacity
“Chunking”

7. Working Memory Processing of Information
Information processed to allow person to achieve action goal or goal of problem at hand, e.g.
Remember how to perform an action as just instructed
Solve a specific movement problem: e.g., how to throw a ball to another person; how to fit together the pieces of a puzzle

8. Long-Term Memory (LTM)
Serves as the more permanent storage repository of information
Function: Allows people to have information about specific past events as well as general knowledge
Duration: Unknown since we cannot satisfactorily measure duration of info in LTM
Capacity: Relatively unlimited

9. Three Types of Memory Systems in Long-Term Memory
Procedural: Stores information about “how to do” specific activities, e.g. motor skills
Semantic: Stores our general knowledge about the world based upon experiences, e.g. concepts
Episodic: Stores our knowledge about personally experienced events
Allows us to “travel back in time”

10. Distinguishing Between Knowing What to Do and How to Do
A common approach to classifying the types of knowledge in the episodic and semantic memory systems in LTM describes the knowledge as
Declarative knowledge
Knowledge that can be verbally described (i.e., “what to do” to perform a skill)
Procedural knowledge
Knowledge that enables the person to actually perform a skill (i.e., know “how to do” a skill)
Typically this knowledge is not verbalizable or difficult to verbalize
Consider distinction between verbally describing how to tie your shoes and actually tying them

11. Remembering and Forgetting Terminology
Encoding: Process of transforming to-be-remembered information into a form that can be stored in memory
Storage: Process of placing information in long-term memory
Rehearsal: Process that enables a person to transfer information from working to long-term memory
Retrieval: Process of searching through LTM for information needed for present use

12. Assessing Remembering and Forgetting
Explicit memory tests
Recall test
Recognition test
Implicit memory tests
Assess info in memory that is difficult to verbalize or may not be verbalizable (i.e., info that would not be accessed on an explicit memory test)

13. Causes of Forgetting Trace decay Proactive interference
Working memory
LTM
Proactive interference
Retroactive interference
LTm

14. Movement Characteristics Related to Memory Performance
Location and distance characteristics
Movement end-point location remembered better than movement distance
Arm movement end-location within the person’s own body space remembered better than outside body space
Implications for teaching motor skills
Emphasize limb movement end-points or key spatial positions during movement
Meaningfulness of the movement
Movement becomes meaningful if they can relate the movement to something they know

15. Strategies that Enhance Memory Performance
Increasing a movement’s meaningfulness
Visual metaphoric imagery
Person thinks of producing a metaphoric image related to the movement
Verbal label
Attach a specific label to the movement
The intention to remember
Intentional and incidental memory
Subjective organization
Organizing sequences of movements

16. Practice-Test Context Effects
Encoding Specificity Principle
(Tulving & Thomson, 1973)
Refers to the relationship between memory encoding and retrieval process
States that the more the test context resembles the practice context, the better the retention performance
What are some implications of this principle for practicing motor skills