Memory Term Explanation Application/Example/Extension Encoding is the process of getting, or putting Encoding is similar to typing, or putting, information on a computer. information into the memory system You first have to put the information in before you can save it. Automatic processing is the unconscious If you were asked what you had for lunch earlier in the day you would be encoding of information such as space, able to remember- you did not memorize the contents of your lunch, but time, and well-learned information since it was automatically encoded, without effort you remembered. Effortful processing is encoding through Studying information for a test is an example of effortful processing- you a conscious effort have to make an effort to remember. ry ry Semantic encoding is encoding with Learning the meaning of words is an example of semantic encoding. For meaning example- you are storing semantic encoding with meaning. In other ng words, the term has a definition (meaning) also encoded. For example, encoding means to put information in Encoding imagery involves using mental When you try to remember something, often you are trying to remember pictures in order to remember a picture, or an image, of the situation. For example, gazing up during a test you are trying to remember the situation when you learned the term- the imagery of the teacher covering the term. Rosy retrospection- is the tendency Some people who are contemplating getting back together with an old to remember pleasant images and not girlfriend/ boyfriend may only remember the positives about the the bad images relationship- however, once they get back together, they will be reminded quickly of the negatives Method of loci is a mnemonic device, Some people, when they go grocery shopping, mentally picture the or memory aid, which you associate location of items in their fridge in order to decide what to buy and what Processes of of Memo Processes Encodi items with the imagery of places. they already have Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin developed the information processing model . They believed information is seen as passing through 3 types of memory stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory Sensory memory is a brief George Sperling Sensory memories have to be very brief as enormous initial encoding of sensory researched the duration amounts of sensory information are constantly around us- if information of sensory memory we take too much time to process certain stimuli we would Processes of Processes Memory Storage miss other stimuli. Submitted by Mike McLane, Sterling Heights High School, Michigan: Permission to use for face-to-face instruction with students only. Memory Iconic memory is a momentary sensory Our dominant sense is vision, called visual capture . There memory of visual stimuli is much more to see, which is why iconic memory has to be very brief, about a few tenths of a second Echoic memory is a momentary sensory Echoic memories last about 3-4 seconds , which is why memory of auditory memory when you repeat terms you are able to retain the terms longer- lasts longer than just looking at a term. Selective attention- paying attention to certain There is an enormous amount of sensory information that environmental sensory stimuli is necessary to move the surrounds us. What we choose to pay attention to is what we information to short-term memory, where it will are going to actually think about in short-term memory. For interpreted or thought about example, you hear a weird noise in your bedroom that gets your attention- now you are paying attention to it Short-term memory is an active, temporary memory After the weird noise gets your attention, you start to think system where information is processed (making sense what the weird noise can be. This thinking occurs in short- of) resulting in either being passed to the next memory term memory- you are trying to make sense of the weird system and stored permanently in long-term memory, noise. or never reaching long-term memory and being forgotten George Miller’s “Magical number 7 plus or The technique of chunking , which is grouping items into minus 2 - short-term memory’s capacity is meaningful chunks like acronyms, free up space in short- limited to 7 items give or take 2 term memory/ TGIF is one item rather than 4 items The duration of the time you can work with Maintenance rehearsal is the mental or verbal repeating of information in short-term memory is 20 or 30 a term, resulting in each time repeated increasing the seconds, resulting in information being either duration of how long an item is held in short-term memory transferred to long-term memory or forgotten Working memory is the active part of short-term memory- the information which you are “working,” or thinking about Submitted by Mike McLane, Sterling Heights High School, Michigan: Permission to use for face-to-face instruction with students only. Memory Long-term memory is the relatively permanent and Elaborative rehearsal If you were to tell your friend of limitless storehouse of memory. involves providing meaning the weird noise in your bedroom to information, which helps that occurred the night before, send, or encode, the than this is an indication that the information from short-term noise was stored in long-term to long-term memory. memory Flashbulb memories are vivid, clear memories Flashbulb memories are often remembered because they involve of an emotionally significant moments or events more parts of the brain in terms of forming the memory. that are processed in the amygdala, which often Images of 9/11 are flashbulb memories for many people who ties emotions to this information witnessed that event Long-term potentiation is an increase in a If you had a shed in the backyard and a snowstorm made it neurons’s firing, which involves the difficult to get to the shed, the more you walked back and forth neurotransmitter serotonin , which is linked to from your house to the shed the easier it would be to get to the learning and memory. shed. You would have created a path, which you will now each *When neurons continue to fire at the same time use you have to go to the shed. The is similar to the time the dendrites of each neuron grow, causing process of learning (walking back and forth to the shed) and the synapse, or gap between neurons, to forming a memory (the path in the snow) decrease resulting in a memory trace, or path, produced in the brain. Each time that memory is activated, the memory trace is activated, resembling a path.* Types of Long term Memories Explicit memories are also called declarative Explicit memories have explicit answers, such as your memories , which involve personal experiences address, which you have to declare consciously, which (episodic information) AND general knowledge, like means you have to think in order to remember the facts (semantic information ) Explicit memories have answer. to be consciously recalled , which means you have to put some thought into coming up with the answer- these memories are stored in the hippocampus Submitted by Mike McLane, Sterling Heights High School, Michigan: Permission to use for face-to-face instruction with students only. Memory Episodic information are events only you Your life is full of “episodes,” which are personal personally have experienced memories of your life. This may include your phone number, birth date, mom’s name Semantic information is general knowledge Semantic information involves common knowledge, and facts that everyone seems to know or common sense information- like how many tires on a car, what color is a stop light Implicit memories are nondeclarative memories, Implicit memories If someone was to ask you how which involve procedural information containing are “implied” to write, you would have a hard motor skills and procedures that do not require active memories, which time explaining the process thinking in order perform- these memories are stored means “you just because the memory for writing in the cerebellum know” how to do, is implicit- nondeclarative- like walk or ride a which means you don’t have to bike. declare or think about the memory. Procedural information involves motor Each time you learned a motor skill, like tying your skills, actions, muscle memory shoe, you learned it as a procedure- “loop and swoop.” The Brain and Memories Explicit memories are processed in the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain responsible for forming new memories Implicit memories are processed in the People who have had damage to their cerebellum have to cerebellum , which is the area of the brain relearn their implicit memories like walking, writing, riding a in charge of balance and movement bike. Organizing long-term memory Conceptual hierarchy - long-term A conceptual hierarchy is like a filling system- you create files based memories are organized into groups on their commonalities- all of your phone bills are in a file, tax bills in that share similar characteristics or another file. This is similar to memories- all of your memories about features school are in a file, all of your memories about food are in another file Submitted by Mike McLane, Sterling Heights High School, Michigan: Permission to use for face-to-face instruction with students only. Memory Semantic network model states that If you think of the color red then you tend to also think of other items long-term memories are organized that are tied to red, like a fire truck, apple, stop sign- in other words, red through a network of associations- is associated, or tied to, all of these items memories are tied, or are linked together through a characteristic Priming is an unconscious ( does When you think of the color red you automatically (unconsciously, not require thought- just happens) without thinking,) have the memory of a fire truck or apple.