Memory Taking in and Storing Information

What do we remember? Phone numbers Social Security Number Lyrics Dates/Birthdays Names Movie lines Write down the very first memory you can think of! How old were you? – Neural pathways are still developing – Language barrier – Survival responses may take precedence

Flashbulb Memories Surprise-induced memorization – Empirical research shows that flashbulb memories may be formed in response to surprising stimuli and events in general. Hormonal basis hypothesis – Cortisol is released in response to stressful incidents causing the brain to remember things to avoid in the future.ortisol Reinforcement Theories

Informational Processing Model

Three Stages of Memory: Sensory Sensory Memory: very brief memory storage immediately following initial reception of a stimulus. Our senses hold onto memories for fractions of a second. – Iconic Memory : visual sensory memory – Echoic Memory : auditory sensory memory that lasts for 1-2 seconds

Sensory Memory Prevents us from being overwhelmed Chance to decide: should I pay attention? Fragile, short lived Capacity is thought to be around 12 items

Sensory Memory: Iconic George Sperling : Present stimulus for 50ms to participants George Sperling D H F G V J S A D H A U In one condition he asked for whole (recall was 4) In another condition, he told them which row of letters (after they viewed the letters: first, second or third, he would like participants to try to recall. (recall 3-4 letters) This meant that for a brief period of time the grid was available to the participants as sensory memory. This suggest we “see” more than we can “say”

How well do you observe? Count how many times the students in the white t-shirts pass the basketball. If you have seen this video before, shhhh!!

Selective Attention We can’t encode everything! We pay attention to what is meaningful to us. – Cocktail Party Effect Inattentional Blindness – Highlights the crucial role of expectations in perception. This helps to explain how we can’t see things that are really there!

Write down what you read.

What did you write down? A BIRD IN THE BUSH A BIRD IN THE THE BUSH

The Processes of Memory First we encode information. – Encoding: the transforming of information so the nervous system can process it. – We encode information through our senses. Acoustic Codes: listening, saying something out loud Visual Codes: mental pictures, images Semantic Codes: give meaning to the information

Write down the number of “F’s” Appearing in the Statement Below. Finished files are the results of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years.

How many did you count? 3, 4, 5, 6 ? (acoustic or visual encoding?) Finished files are the results of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years.

Instructions will appear on the next slide. Nod your head when you fully understand the instructions.

Group 1 FOR EACH OF THE WORDS THAT I AM GOING TO READ, MENTALLY RATE THE USEFULNESS OF THE ITEM, ON A 1-5 SCALE, IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND.

Instructions will appear on the next slide. Nod your head when you fully understand the instructions.

GROUP 2 FOR EACH OF THE WORDS THAT I AM GOING TO READ, MENTALLY ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF SYLLABALS FOUND IN THE WORD.

The Processes of Memory Second, we store information. – Storage: The process by which information is maintained over a period of time. – How much effort was put into encoding?

The Processes of Memory Finally, once information is encoded and stored, we can retrieve information. Retrieval: The process of obtaining information that has been stored in memory. – Information is brought back to mind from storage. – Depends on how information was encoded and stored.

Encoding, Storage, & Retrieval

Three Stages of Memory: Short-Term Short-Term Memory: memory that is limited in capacity to about seven items and in duration by the subject’s active rehearsal. Information needs to be repeated to keep in short term memory.

Short-Term Memory Maintenance Rehearsal: a system for remembering involving repeating information to oneself without attempting to find meaning in it. Lasts about 20 seconds

Short-Term Memory Chunking: the process of grouping items to make them easier to remember. “Rule of 7” (7 +/- 2) We can remember about 7 “chunks” Try to remember as many of the following letters as possible. FABCPBSNBCCNNMTV F ABC, PBS, NBC, CNN, MTV. T-HED-OGS-AWT-HEC-AT THE-DOG-SAW-THE-CAT Social Security Numbers Phone Numbers

Let’s Test Your Short Term Memory!

Put Your Pens/Pencils Down and Listen to the List of Words I Read Dream Night Toss Turn Sound Rest Snore Awake Night Slumber Eat Artichoke Comfort Wake Tired Clock Fatigue Silence Dark Quilt Night Bed Sleep

Short-Term Memory The Serial Position Effect: we are better able to recall information presented at the beginning and end of a list.

Three Stages of Memory: Long-Term Memory Long-Term Memory: information is stored for long periods of time.

Try to remember everything you see and hear.

Long-Term Memory: Semantic Memory Semantic Memory: knowledge of language, including its rules, words, and meanings.

Long-Term Memory: Episodic Memory Episodic Memory: memory of one’s life, including time of occurrence.

Long-Term Memory: Declarative Memory Declarative Memory: memory of knowledge that can be called forth consciously as needed. Explicit Memory: – deliberate & effortful Implicit Memory: – automatic

Long-Term Memory: Procedural Memory Procedural Memory: memory of learned skills that does not require conscious recollection. Skills Habits Classical Conditioning