Memory The persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.

Take out a piece of paper….. Number from 1 to 20. I will show you a slide with 20 items on it for 40 seconds. When 40 seconds are up I will switch to the next slide and then you may start writing down as many as you can remember. Put your pencils down… Here we go!

How many did you remember? Did you use any strategies to help you remember more of them?

The Memory Process Encoding Storage Retrieval

Encoding The processing of information into the memory system. Typing info into a computer Getting a girl’s name at a party

Storage The retention of encoded material over time. Pressing Ctrl S and saving the info. Trying to remember her name when you leave the party.

Retrieval The process of getting the information out of memory storage. Finding your document and opening it up. Seeing her the next day and calling her the wrong name (retrieval failure).

Encoding Getting the information into our heads How do you encode the info you read in our text?

Two ways to encode information Automatic Processing Effortful Processing

Automatic Processing Unconscious encoding of incidental information. You encode space, time and word meaning without effort. Things can become automatic with practice. For example, if I tell you that you are a jerk, you will encode the meaning of what I am saying to you without any effort.

Effortful Processing Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort. Rehearsal is the most common effortful processing technique. Through enough rehearsal, what was effortful becomes automatic.

Ebbinghaus’ Retention Curve Hermann Ebbinghaus (conducted poineering memory studies). The more time he rehearsed a list on the first day, the less time it took to be able to repeat the list with no errors on the second day!

Take out a piece of paper….. Number from 1-44 on your paper. Name all of the U.S. Presidents.

The Presidents WashingtonTaylorHarrisonEisenhower J.AdamsFillmoreClevelandKennedy JeffersonPierceMcKinleyL.Johnson MadisonBuchananT.RooseveltNixon MonroeLincolnTaftFord JQ AdamsA.JohnsonWilsonCarter JacksonGrantHardingReagan Van BurenHayesCoolidgeBush HarrisonGarfieldHooverClinton TylerArthurF.D.RooseveltBush Jr. PolkClevelandTrumanObama

Serial Position Effect Our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list. If we graph what an average person remembers from the presidential list - it would probably look something like this. Presidents Recalled

Primacy and Recency Effects Primacy effect – recalling the items near the beginning of a list. Recency effect – recalling the items at the end of a list.

Spacing Effect We encode better when we study or practice over time. DO NOT CRAM!!!!!

Encoding Meaning Semantic Encoding: the encoding of meaning, like the meaning of words (most effective). Acoustic Encoding: the encoding of sound, especially the sounds of words. Visual Encoding: the encoding of picture images (what the word looks like / least effective). Encoding exercise

Ways to Remember or Encode Things Chunking: Organizing items into familiar, manageable units. Mnemonic devices: (memory aids) (like the “peg-word system” or the “method of loci”). ROegsMqNchttp:// ROegsMqNc Rehearsal: repetition, repetition, etc “Foolish Moms Smoke POT."

Storage How we retain the information we encode.

3 Types of Storage Sensory Memory Short-Term Memory Long-Term Memory

Three Box Model of Memory

Sensory Memory A brief, initial coding of sensory info into the memory system. (Less than ½ a second). Iconic Store: a brief visual memory. Echoic Store: a brief auditory memory.

Short-Term/Working Memory Contains info you are consciously aware of before it’s stored or forgotten. Holds about 7 (plus or minus 2) items for about 20 seconds. There tends to be rapid decay of info unless you rehearse.

Take out a piece of paper….. I will show you a series of slides with increasing numbers of letters on each slide. I will show each slide for 8 seconds. When the slide is switched you may try and write down as many of the letters as you can.

U M

T Z L D

K X C E J O

A V C Y I S E H

L B F Q R P M A U X

Z Q E C T B U M O N R V

T O S T G E L J N F T E Y C

Long Term Memory Unlimited, relatively permanent storehouse of information. Brain damage can destroy this ability. Like the hard drive on your computer.

Long-Term Memory We have yet to find the limit of our long-term memory. For example, Rajan Mahadevan was able to recite 31,811 digits of pi. At 5 years old, Rajan would memorize the license plates of all of his parents’ guests (about 75 cars in ten minutes). He still remembers the plate numbers to this day.

Superior Autobiographical Memory When you can remember every detail of every day of your adult life. Marilu Henner.

Flashbulb Memories A vivid, clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

Memory and the Brain Long-Term Potentiation: Is the long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons. In other words…they learn to fire together and get better at it…creating a memory. When learning occurs, more serotonin is released into the synapses.

2 Types of Long-Term Memory

Explicit Memories Memories of experiences. Memories of Facts.

Implicit Memories Memories of Skills & Procedures. Conditioned Memories.

The Hippocampus Is involved in storing explicit memories. Damage to the hippocampus disrupts our storing of explicit memories. A form or amnesia. The Cerebellum is involved in storing implicit memories.

Retrieval How do we recall the information we thought we remembered? Lets Jog Our Memory!!!!!!!

Recall vs. Recognition Recall You must retrieve the information from your LT memory. Fill-in-the blank or essay tests. Recognition You must pick the correct answer from a list of choices. Multiple-choice tests.

The Context Effect Enhanced ability to retrieve info when you are in an environment similar to the one in which you encoded the info. Mood Congruent Memory. State Dependent Memory.

Retrieval Cues Things that help us remember. Priming (the activation of associations in our memory) helps us retrieve information.

Priming

Free recall activity… I will show you a series of slides with a word on each slide. After I have shown you ALL the slides try and write down as many of the words as you can remember. Ready?

Rest

Snore

Sound

Tired

Bed

Comfort

Awake

Eat

Wake

Dream

Slumber

Night Last

Take 2 minutes to write down as many of the words as you can. How many remembered the word AARDVARK? How many remembered the word SLEEP? Neither word was on the list!

Déjà Vu That eerie sense that you have experienced something before. What is occurring is that the current situation cues past experiences that are very similar to the present one - your mind gets confused. Is déjà vu really a glitch in the Matrix?

Forgetting: an increase in errors when trying to recall information.

Encoding Failure: Not getting info into LT Memory

Test Your Memory Which is the real penny?

Storage Failure Even if we encode something well, we can forget it. Without rehearsal, we forget things over time. Remember Hermann Ebbinghaus?

Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve

Retrieval Failure The memory was encoded and stored, but sometimes you just cannot access the memory (like the Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon).

Forgetting: Interference Theory Retroactive Interference: new information blocks out old information. Proactive Interference: old information blocks out new information. Calling your new girlfriend by old girlfriends name. Getting a new bus number and forgetting old bus number.

Mnemonic for the Interference Theory PORN P roactive. O ld info blocking out new info. R etroactive. N ew info blocking out old info.

Motivated Forgetting We sometimes revise our own histories. Honey, I did stick to my diet today!!!!!!

Motivated Forgetting One explanation is REPRESSION: In Frued’s psychoanalytic theory, the process of moving anxiety producing memories to the unconscious mind. Why does is exist?

Memory Construction We sometimes alter our memories as we encode or retrieve them. Your expectations, schemas, and environment may alter your memories.

Misinformation Effect Incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event. It would be like if my parents told me for years that I met Jerry West. I have the memory - but it never happened!!!

Misinformation Effect Depiction of Accident

Misinformation Effect Leading Question: About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?

Children’s Recall and Recovered Memories Young children’s memories are subject to suggestibility.. Children’s memories grow more accurate with age. Reports of recovered memories (adult memories, often of physical and sexual abuse suffered as children) are controversial.