1. Basic components of memory
Chapter 8
Basic components of memory

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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
ATTENTION’S LIMITED CAPACITY

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.
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 ?