Basic components of memory Chapter 8 Basic components of memory

Basic Terminology Ability to recall previously learned information MEMORY Process of putting new information in memory STORAGE There are three main ways in which information can be encoded (changed): 1. Visual (picture) 2. Acoustic (sound) 3. Semantic (meaning) Process of storing information by modifying it ENCODING Process of « finding » information previously stored RETRIEVAL

Dual-store model of memory Atkinson-shiffrin (1968) CENTRAL EXECUTIVE Long-Term Memory Sensory Register Working (Short-Term) Memory INPUT IN DEPT PROCESSING ATTENTION Lost Lost ? Lost

Sensory Register Hold incoming information long enough for it to undergo very preliminary cognitive processing. CAPACITY Very large even for infants FORMS OF STORAGE Basically stored in the same way in which it has been sensed Very Brief Diffucult to measure Move to quickly to working memory DURATION -Interference -Decay

Factors influencing attention Information that a learner pays attention to-moves on to working memory MOTION Moving objects are more likely to capture attention than stationery ones SIZE Attention to drawn to LARGE OBJECTS INTENSITY More intense Stimuli- Bright Colors & Loud Noises NOVELTY Stimuli unusual in some way INCONGRUITY Objects that don’t make sense within their context SOCIAL CUES Things they see others looking at and reacting to EMOTION Stimuli with strong emotional connections PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE Meaning and relevance people find in an object or event

Shadowing NATURE OF AtTENTION Technique used to study this ability to attends to a spoken message while ignoring others. Is Attention really a filter ? Working memory controls attention to some extent http://youtu.be/tESffhWs8l0 ATTENTION’S LIMITED CAPACITY

Working memory Where, cognitive- active thinking, occurs CAPACITY Very limited A good deal of the information stored in working memory is auditory especially when the information is language-based ( visual, spatial and tactile) Controls and monitors the flow and use of information throughout the memory system FORMS OF STORAGE George Miller (1956) Magical number seven, plus or minus two -Interference -Decay DURATION Short-term memory Less than 30 seconds Cowan ( 2010) 3-5 meaningful items http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/improving-short-term-memory.html#lesson

Long-term memory Connecting new information with prior knowledge Declarative knowledge How things are, were, or will be Procedural knowledge How to do things CAPACITY Illimited More information is already there, the easier it is to store additional information In a variety of forms: Distorstions of reality Explicit knowledge Easily recall and explain it Implicit knowledge Affect people’s behavior (Chapter 10) FORMS OF STORAGE Permanent state Forgetting is retrieval Still an open question… DURATION Some kinds of information once they’ve captured a person’s attention- seem to be automatically stored in the long-term memory. Learner would be actively involved in storing virtually anything in long term memory

Alternative views of human memory Levels-of processing (Cermak & Craik 1979) Activation (Campo and Al. 2005) All information is in an active or an inactive state Both, new information and previously stored one, is whatever a learner is paying attention to and processing. Quite useful in understanding how people retrieve information from long-term memory Intention to learn Incidental learning Labels Sentence generation Sentence repetition « What » question. « Why » question. Depth of processing-not intention to learn- was the critical factor affecting learning

Generalisations about memory/ educational implications Attention is essential for explicit memory Effective Strategies for capturing and holding students’s attention: Include variety in topics and presentation styles Provide frequent breaks from task requiring considerable attention and concentration Ask questions Minimize distractions when independent work is assigned Seat the students near the teacher if they have trouble staying on task Monitor students’ behaviors Learners can process only a limited amount of information at a time Learners must be selective about what they choose to study and learn Even with attention-guetting and appropriately paced instruction and activities, learners differ in their ability to control what they attend and consciously think about The limited capacity of working memory isn’t necessarily a bad thing

Group Discussion What do you think about that ? Try to imagine life without memories. We would have no identity. We would ask the same questions over and over because we would not be able to remember the answers to them. We would live forever in the present moment and have no recollection of our pasts, including people and experiences that are important to us, and no anticipation of the future. Glenda Thorne, Ph.D. Memory and Learning. http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/memory.php What children remember is more often than not used as the yardstick to judge what they have learned. If they perform poorly on a test because they can't retrieve what they know from long-term memory in order to answer test questions, the assumption usually is that learning has not taken place. What do you think about that ? Furthermore; what is the best way to use memory for learning ?