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Memory Storage: Retaining Information

Sensory Memory Sensory memory retention is only fleeting and momentary Sensory memory retention allows us to remember small, quick bits of information for a very short period of time

Sensory Memory G ZEP R KOD B TXF

Sensory Memory How many letters can you recall? Most people can recall four or five letters in that short of a time span, but know that there were more.

Sensory Memory Sensory memory retention is what is used when you are reading a sentence in a book….you only remember the last word you read until you have read the next few words on the line You’re flipping through the phone book looking for a number, and though you recognize that some numbers are not the correct one, you don’t recall what they actually were.

Sensory Memory Sensory memory retention is what is used when you see a face in the crowd for a split second….you recognize features quickly, determine she/he was cute, but then you can’t remember any details of their face

Sensory Memory Was he/she cute? What was he/she wearing? What color was it? What color was his/her hair? How long was it? What color was her lipstick? What was his/her facial expression? What color were his/her eyes?

Short-Term Memory or Working Memory The ability to hold and manipulate information over a brief period of time. Forgetting can occur rapidly, especially if distractedThe ability to hold and manipulate information over a brief period of time. Forgetting can occur rapidly, especially if distracted

Short-Term Memory or Working Memory Short-term memory has two important characteristics. seven, plus or minus two –First, short-term memory can contain at any one time seven, plus or minus two, "chunks" of information. twenty to thirty seconds. –Second, items remain in short-term memory around twenty to thirty seconds.

Short-Term Memory This type of memory increases as children get older… …but decreases in old age

Short-Term Memory Look at the pictures on the next slide

Write down all the objects you can remember How many objects did you remember?

Short-Term Memory We can only consciously process a very limited amount of information in our short-term memory. Overload your short-term memory? You might forget what you read, ask yourself where you put your briefcase, and ask your phone partner the same thing twice.

Long-Term Memory A system in the brain that can store vast amounts of information on a relatively enduring basis The information can be facts you learned a few minutes ago, personal memories that are decades old, or skills learned with practice.

Long-Term Memory The average adult has more than a billion bits of information in memory Storage capacity of long-term memories has been estimated at million times that (1,000,000 X 1,000,000,000)

Storing Memories in the Brain Complex memories do not reside in single specific spots Karl Lashley – trained rats to solve a maze, then cut out pieces of the rat’s cortexes and retested their memory of the maze. No matter what small cortex section he removed, the rats retained at least a partial memory of how to solve the maze

Storing Memories in the Brain Richard Thompson resumed Lashley’s search Tone, Puff, Blink –Classical Conditioning/reflex Activity was found localized in the Cerebellum The Verdict – Complex memories are distributed while many simple, reflex memories are localized

Storing Memories in the Brain Are memories stored in the electrical currents of the brain, in addition to (or instead of?) the physical cortexes? Ralph Gerard – trained hamsters to turn right or left to get food, and then lowered their body temps until the brain’s electrical activity ceased. He revived them, re-tested them, and they remembered which way to turn. Conclusion: Memories are electrical and physical.

Important Brain Storage Areas The hippocampus functions as a memory "gateway" New memories must pass through before entering permanent storage in the brain. It holds your short term memory.

Important Brain Storage Areas The amygdala stores many memories tied to emotions. It is responsible for emotional content of your memories

Explicit Memory The conscious, intentional recollection of previous experiences and information. We use explicit memory throughout the day, such as remembering the time of an appointment or recollecting an event from years ago.We use explicit memory throughout the day, such as remembering the time of an appointment or recollecting an event from years ago.

Implicit Memory Implicit Memory is remembering something without being aware that you are remembering it. It is an automatic or an unconscious form of memory. (Schacter, 1987) Implicit memory is special because most amnesiacs still have implicit memory skills even if they don't realize it. Motor or muscle memory is implicit