Memory
the ability to store and retrieve information over time.
Three key functions of memory
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
Encoding
the process by which we transform what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory.
Storage
the process of maintaining information in memory over time.
Retrieval
the process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored.
Memories are made by
combining information we already have with new information coming in.
Three ways to encode
Elaborative encoding,
visual imagery encoding,
organizational encoding
Visual Imagery encoding
the process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures.
Method of Ioci
A classic mnemonic technique that depends heavily on visual imagery and the use of spatial knowledge and the use of spatial knowledge to organize recall.
Elaborative encoding
the process of actively relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory.
Visual Imagery encoding
the process of storing new information by converting it into mental picuters
Organizational encoding
the process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items.
memory mechanisms that help us survive
should be passed down
Three major kinds of memory storage
Sensory memory
Short-term memory
Long-term memory
Sensory Memory
storage that holds sensory information for a few seconds or less
Iconic memory
a fast-decaying sore of visual information
Echoic memory
a fast-decaying store of auditory information
Short-term memory
working memory:storage that holds non-sensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute; can hold about 7 items.
Rehearsal
the process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally repeating it.
Chunking
combining small pieces of information into larger clusters that are more easily help in short-term memory.
Working memory
active maintenance of information in short-term memory
Long-term memory
storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, or years; no known capacity.
The hippocampus is critical as an 'index' for
long-term memory storage
Anterograde amnesia
the inability to transfer new information from the short-term store into the long-term store.
Retrograde amnesia
the inability to retrieve information that was acquired before a particular date, usually the date of an injury or operation.
Consolidation
the process by which memories become stable in the brain.
Reconsolidation
memories can become vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled, requiring them to become consolidated again.
Consolidation
the process by which memories become stable in the brain.
Reconsolidation
memories can become vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled, requiring them to become consolidated again.
Long-term Potentiation
a process whereby communication across the synapse between neurons strengthens the connection making further communication easier
NMDA receptor
a receptor site on the hippocampus that influences the flow of information between neurons by controlling the initiation of LTP
Retrieval cues
external information that helps bring stored information to mind
Encoding specificity principle
the idea that a retrieval cue can serve as an effective reminder when it helps recreate the specific way in which information was initially encoded.
State dependent retrieval
the tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding and retrieval.
Transfer-appropriate processing
memory is likely to transfer from one situation to another when the encoding context of the situations match.
Retrieval-Induced forgetting
a process by which retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs subsequent recall of related items (Frontal lobe suppresses competing information)
Sleep plays an active role in
memory consolidation
Memories strengthen the connections between
neurons, specifically in the hippocampus
Regions in the left frontal love show activity when people
TRY to retrieve information
Hippocampal activation is shown during
SUCCESSFUL retrieval
Explicit memory
the act of consciously or intentionally retriveing past experiences.
Implicit memory
the influence of past experiences on later behavior, even without an effor to remember them or an awareness of te recollection.
Priming
an enhanced ability to think of a stimulus as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus; less cortical activation (perceptual and conceptual priming)
Procedural memory
the gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice, or "knowing how" to do things.
Semantic memory
a network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world.
Episodic memory
the collection of past personal experiences that occured at a particular time and place.
Transience
forgetting what occurs with the passage of time
(memory fades more quickly at first, then slowly over time; involves a switch from specific to more gradual memories)
Retroactive interference
situations in which information learned later impairs memory for information azquired earlier.
Proactive interference
situations in which information learned arlier impairs memory for information acquired later.
Absentmindedness
a lapse in attention that results in memory failure
Prospective memory
remembering to do things in the future.
Blocking
a failure to retrive information that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it.
(also known as tip-of-the tongue phenomenon)
Memory misattribution
assigning a recollection or an iea to the wrong source
(frontal lobe intimately involved)
Source memory
recall of when, where, and how information was acquired
False recognition
a feeling of failiarity about something that hasn't been encountered before
(same brain activation as true recognition)
Suggestibility
the tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections
Bias
the distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences
Consistency bias
the tendency to reconstruct the past to fit the present
Change bias
the tendency to exaggerate differences between what we feel or beliee now and what we felt or believed in the past.
Egocentric bias
the tendency to exaggerate the change between present and past in order to make ourselves look good in retrospect
Persistence
the intrusive recollection of events that we wish we could forget
(often occurs after distrubing or traumatic events)
Flashbult memories
detailed recollections of when and whre we heardi about shocking events
The amygdala is involved in
emotional memory