1. Acquiring, Processing, and Retaining Information
Chapter 8
Acquiring, Processing, and Retaining Information

2. I. Acquiring Information
Learning Curves
Attention + motivation = rapid learning
Engaged
Chemicals in brain
Learning curve
Gradual increase in retained material

3. I. Acquiring Information
Chemical Influences on Learning
Stimulants increase learning
(too much is bad though)
Depressants decrease learning
*State-dependent learning

4. I. Acquiring Information
Emotional Factors in learning
Having emotion involved increases learning
Increases brain activity

5. I. Acquiring Information
Transfer of Training: transfer knowledge to new situations
Positive Transfer: two similar tasks
Use past task to help with new
Negative Transfer: previously learned task interferes with learning new task
Old task interferes with the new

6. III. Information Processing Theory
3 stages information passes through before it is stored
Sensory Memory, Short Term Memory, Long Term Memory
Long Term is where encoding happens

7. III. Information Processing Theory
Sensory Memory
Iconic Memory (some not all encoded)
Short-Term (Working Memory)
Events encoded as visual, acoustic or semantic codes
Selective attention – we encode what we are attending to
Rehearsal, mnemonic devices encoding
Long-Term
Unlimited capacity for memory
Episodic, Semantic, Procedural

8. III. Retaining Information
Short & Long Term Memory
Amnesia: blocking of older memories/loss of new ones
Serial position effect – order of items in a list
Sequence of Memory Loss
Primacy and Recency effect
Primacy – remember the 1st things
Recency – remember the last things

9. II. Info Processing Theory
Using a Schema: way of solving problems
Importance of Organizing Information
Concepts
Prototypes

10. II. Info Processing Special Processes
Elaboration: Making maximum number of associations to a basic concept
Easy retrieval
Tie new information to old information
Example: New=REM, Old=Dream
REM=Dream

11. II. Info Processing Mnemonic Devices: memory aids
Method of Loci: Remember spatial relationships
Acronyms: ROY G. BIV
Narrative Chaining: Make a story to remember

12. II. Info Processing Principle Learning: learn basic idea
Chunking: Arranging things into clusters or chunks of information
Spacing Effect: Retain more if you study a little bit over a longer period of time

13. III. Retaining Information
Principles of Forgetting
Forgetting: errors when trying to recall memory
The forgetting curve
Overlearning: learn it over and over and over
>1 Reptition
“Oh Say Can You See _______”
“Who Let the Dogs________”

14. III. Retaining Information
Recall & Recognition:
Recall: ability to bring back and to integrate many specific learned details
Recognition: Ability to pick the correct object or even from a lit of choices
Tip of the tongue phenomenon

15. III. Retaining Information
Ebbinghaus – nonsense syllables
Interference Theory: new/old information conflict with each other

16. III. Retaining Information
Mechanisms of Memory
Physical Change in synapse
Chemicals increase with learning
Making connections faster
Long Term Potentiation – strengthening neural signals

17. III. Retaining Information
Unusual Types of Memory
Photographic Memory (eidetic)
Eye-witness Memory
Very defective
Who Dunnit?
Fox News Eye Witness
Discovery Channel
60 Minutes
Part 1
Part 2

18. Works Cited
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