SIE 515 Human Memory Continued Lecture 4

Today’s Schedule Discussion of Interaction Styles Long-term memory (LTM) Declarative and implicit Primary LTM activities: Learning, access, and forgetting

Interaction Styles Theme: No one style works for all users or tasks.   Theme: No one style works for all users or tasks. Remember the First Law of HCI Interfaces: Clarity and Optimization Avoid “neat but not necessary” Simple is often the best interaction style

Long-term Memory (LTM) Enduring storage of anything beyond perception that we can think about or act on 3 methods of information flow from WM to LTM Rehearsal Creating meaningful associations Consolidation (unconscious) Structure of LTM LTM vs. computer’s hard drive 16

Two Types of LTM Declarative long-term memory: what you consciously remember Episodic: memories of specific events in time Semantic: memories of concepts, facts, and knowledge Implicit (procedural) LTM Represents rule-based information and tasks Automatic and unconscious Emotional and motor long-term memories 17

LTM Storage Three Functions of LTM: storage, access, and decay Learning = storage of information Huge capacity (synaptogenesis) Learning hypotheses: Total time (Ebbinghaus) Distribution of practice (Baddeley) 18

LTM Access Access = retrieval of information Two factors determine ease of LTM retrieval: Memory strength based on frequency and recency of use Relation to HCI and interactive design Techniques to improve these processes 20

“The engines roared above the noise of the crowd “The engines roared above the noise of the crowd. Even in the blistering heat people rose to their feet and waved their hands in excitement. The flag fell and they were off. Within seconds the car had pulled away from the pack and was speeding round the bend at a break-neck pace. Its wheels momentarily left the ground as it cornered. Coming down the straight the sun glinted on its shimmering paint. The driver gripped the wheel with fierce concentration.” 21

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LTM Decay Decay = forgetting of information Limited decay if information is highly learned Is decay due to actual forgetting or a memory access problem? Two theories of forgetting: Decay (logarithmic): Jost’s Law Interference: Masking (retroactive interference and proactive inhibition) 19

LTM Organizing Principles Memory schemas and scripts Top-down process based on generalized concepts Mental Models: Internal representation of dynamic system or states Cognitive maps: internal representations of spatial information 23

For Next Class Assignment 4: Task 1: Read Dix Chapter 7 Task 2: Identify what you think are the most important design rules from the reading. Provide a good and bad example of when these are used in interactive design. For the bad example, describe how better use of design rules could improve the problem. Post to blog by 11:59PM on 2/1/16 and be prepared to discuss in class. http://www.fitlab.eu/seminars.php 24