Memory Wait…what were we talking about?

Before We Begin… Memorize the definitions of the following words: Tortuous: full of twists and turns Decorous: proper; polite and restrained Surfeit: an excessive amount of something Ere: (archaic) Before Prevaricate: speak or act in an evasive way

Question! How do we define “memory”?

How About This? Memory: the ability to store and retrieve information over time Three Functions of Memory: Encoding Storage Retrieval

Encoding The process by which we transform what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory Question: How many lines can you memorize?

Digit Memorization Test 28

Digit Memorization Test Use your brain!

Digit Memorization Test

Digit Memorization Test Don’t overthink it!

Digit Memorization Test

Digit Memorization Test No pressure!

Digit Memorization Test

Digit Memorization Test SO MANY NUMBERS

Digit Memorization Test

Encoding Part 2 Memories are NOT copies of sensory experience Memories ARE made by combining information we already have in our brains with new information that comes through our senses

Elaborative Encoding Long-term retention of information is greatly enhanced by elaborative encoding Actively relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory Difference between semantic judgments, rhyme judgments, and visual judgments in word memorization Bubbles!

Visual Imagery Encoding Storing new information by converting it into mental pictures How does it work? When you create a visual image, you relate incoing information to knowledge already in memory When you use visual imagery to encode words and other verbal information, you end up with two different mental “placeholders” for the items—a visual one and a verbal one More ways to remember

Organizational Encoding Noticing the relationships between a series of items and mentally “grouping” them accordingly

Question! How many words can you memorize in 15 seconds? Peach, cow, chair, apple, table, cherry, lion, couch, horse desk

Organizational Encoding, Anyone? FruitsAnimalsFurniture PeachCowChair AppleLionCouch CherryHorseDesk

Storage Memory storage: the process of maintaining information in memory over time

Sensory Memory Sensory memory store: the place in which sensory information is kept for a few seconds or less Iconic memory: fast-decaying store of visual information Echoic memory: a fast-decaying store of auditory information

George Sterling’s Sensory Memory Test

Short-term memory! Short-term memory: a place where nonsensory information is kept for more than a few seconds but less than a minute Typically lasts seconds Rehearsal: the process of keeping information in short- term memory by mentally repeating it

Cheating Short-Term Memory Short-term memory typically holds seven meaningful items Chunking: combining small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks

But is memory a PLACE? Working memory: active maintenance of information in short-term storage Subsystems store and manipulate visual images and verbal information Human working memory vs. Chimp working memory

Long-Term Memory Store A place where information can be kept for hours, days, weeks, or years Has no known capacity limits, unlike sensory and short- term memory

Who am I? Anterograde Amnesia: the inability to transfer new information from the short-term store into the long-term store Anterograde Amnesia Retrograde amnesia: the inability to retrieve information that as acquired before a particular date, usually the date of an injury or operation Hippocampus helps group pieces of information together to form long-lasting memories Hippocampus

Memories and the Brain “Cells that fire together wire together”: the cat of sending neurotransmitters across a synapse CHANGES the synapse. Strengthens the connection between the two neurons, making it easier for them to transmit to each other the next time Long-term potentiation (LTP): enhanced neural processing that results from the strengthening of synaptic connections Aplysia slug!

Retrieval Bringing memories to consciousness in the present Retrieval cue: external information that is associated with stored information and helps bring it to mind Encoding Specificity Principle: a retrieval cue can serve as an effective reminder when it helps re-create the specific way in which information was initially encoded

Retrieve the Definitions Tortuous: Decorous: Surfeit: Ere: Prevaricate:

Drinking: Good or Bad for Memory State-dependent Retrieval: the tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding and retrieval

Implicit and Explicit Memory Explicit memory: when people consciously or intentionally retrieve past experience “Knowing THAT” Implicit memory: occurs when past experiences influence later behavior and performance, even though people are not trying to recollect them and are not aware that they are remembering Procedural memory: the gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice—knowing HOW to do things “Knowing HOW”

Priming Priming: an enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or object, as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus Seasonal Affective Disorder

Priming Part 2 Study the following words: avocado, mystery, climate, octopus, assassin

Now Fill in the Blanks! Ch – – – – nk O – t – p – – – o g – y – – – – l – m – te

7 Sins of Memory