Memory Studying Memory: Information Processing Models To remember any event, we must get information into our brain (encoding), retain that information (storage), and later get it back out (retrieval).

Studying Memory: Information Processing Models Preview Question 1: How do psychologists describe the human memory system? Keyboard (Encoding) Disk (Storage) Monitor (Retrieval) Sequential Process

Memory Memory is the basis for knowing your friends, your neighbors, the English language, the national anthem, and yourself. If memory was nonexistent, everyone would be a stranger to you; every language foreign; every task new; and even you yourself would be a stranger.

The Seven Dwarfs Tip-of-the tongue phenomenon (TOT) Memory Pattern? Recall vs. Recognition Grouchy, Gabby, Fearful, Sleepy, Smiley, Jumpy, Hopeful, Shy, Droopy, Dopey, Sniffy, Wishful, Puffy, Dumpy, Sneezy, Lazy, Pop, Grumpy, Bashful, Cheerful, Shorty, Nifty, Happy, Doc, Wheezy and Stubby. Clive Wearing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwigmktix2Y&feature=related

Information Processing The Atkinson-Schiffrin (1968) three-stage model of memory includes a) sensory memory, b) short-term memory, and c) long-term memory. Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works Frank Wartenberg/ Picture Press/ Corbis Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works

Modifications to the Three-Stage Model Some information skips the first two stages and enters long-term memory automatically. Since we cannot focus on all the sensory information received, we select information that is important to us and actively process it into our working memory.

Working Memory A newer understanding of short-term memory that involves conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

Encoding: Getting Information In How We Encode Some information (route to school) is automatically processed. However, new or unusual information (friend’s new cell-phone number) requires attention and effort. Preview Question 2: What information do we encode automatically? What information do we encode effortfully, and how does the distribution of practice influence retention?

Automatic Processing We process an enormous amount of information effortlessly, such as the following: Space: While reading a textbook, you automatically encode the place of a picture on a page. Time: We unintentionally note the events that take place in a day. Frequency: You effortlessly keep track of things that happen to you.

Effortful Processing Committing novel information to memory requires effort just like learning a concept from a textbook. Such processing leads to durable and accessible memories. Spencer Grant/ Photo Edit © Bananastock/ Alamy

Effortful learning usually requires rehearsal or conscious repetition. Ebbinghaus studied rehearsal by using nonsense syllables: TUV YOF GEK XOZ http://www.isbn3-540-21358-9.de Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909)

Rehearsal The more times the nonsense syllables were practiced on Day 1, the fewer repetitions were required to remember them on Day 2.

Rehersal Rote rehearsal Repetition can result in long-term memory Only effective if there is intent to learn material Example: What does a penny look like? The accurate picture is the one third from the left. Most people will get this wrong because although they have seen a lot of pennies, they never pay attention so they never learn.

Memory Effects Spacing Effect: We retain information better when we rehearse over time. Serial Position Effect: When your recall is better for first and last items on a list, but poor for middle items. Presidential Recall

Serial Position Effect People tend to recall the first items (primacy effect) and last items (recency effect) in a list Demonstrates how short- and long-term memory work together Primacy effect reflects long-term memory Recency effect reflects short-term memory

Encoding Meaning Processing the meaning of verbal information by associating it with what we already know or imagine. Encoding meaning (semantic encoding) results in better recognition later than visual or acoustic encoding.

Visual Encoding Mental pictures (imagery) are a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding. Both photos: Ho/AP Photo Showing adverse effects of tanning and smoking in a picture may be more powerful than simply talking about it.

Mnemonics Imagery is at the heart of many memory aids. Mnemonic techniques use vivid imagery and organizational devices in aiding memory.

Organizing Information for Encoding Break down complex information into broad concepts and further subdivide them into categories and subcategories. Chunking Hierarchies

Chunking Organizing items into a familiar, manageable unit. Try to remember the numbers below. 9111828182845904550071992

Acronyms are another way of chunking information to remember it. HOMES = Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior ROY G. BIV = Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Hierarchy Complex information broken down into broad concepts and further subdivided into categories and subcategories.

Encoding Summarized in a Hierarchy

Storage: Retaining Information Storage is at the heart of memory. Three stores of memory are shown below: Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-term Memory Encoding Events Encoding Retrieval Retrieval

The longer the delay, the greater the memory loss. Sensory Memory The longer the delay, the greater the memory loss. 20 40 60 80 Percent Recognized 0.15 0.30 0.50 1.00 Time (Seconds)

The duration of sensory memory varies for the different senses. Sensory Memories The duration of sensory memory varies for the different senses. Iconic 0.5 sec. long Echoic 3-4 sec. long

Working Memory Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-term Memory Events Encoding Events Encoding Retrieval Preview Question 5: What are the duration and capacity of short-term and of long-term memory? Retrieval

Working Memory Working memory, the new name for short-term memory, has a limited capacity (7±2) and a short duration (20 seconds).

Capacity M U T G I K T L R S Y P The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information (1956). Ready? M U T G I K T L R S Y P You should be able to recall 7±2 letters. George Miller

Chunking FBI TWA CIA IBM 4 chunks The capacity of the working memory may be increased by “chunking.” F-B-I-T-W-A-C-I-A-I-B-M FBI TWA CIA IBM 4 chunks

Working Memory Duration The duration of the working memory is about 20 sec.

Recall Quiet Dark Night Bed Quilt Night Artichoke Silence Toss Turn Fatigue

Long-Term Memory Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-term Memory Events Encoding Events Encoding Retrieval Retrieval

Long-Term Memory Essentially unlimited capacity store. R.J. Erwin/ Photo Researchers The Clark’s nutcracker can locate 6,000 caches of buried pine seeds during winter and spring.

Memory Feats

Memory Stores Feature Sensory Memory Working Memory LTM Encoding Copy Phonemic Semantic Capacity Unlimited 7±2 Chunks Very Large Duration 0.25 sec. 20 sec. Years

Storing Memories in the Brain Loftus and Loftus (1980) reviewed previous research data showing, through brain stimulation, that memories were etched into the brain and found that only a handful of brain stimulated patients reported flashbacks. Using rats, Lashley (1950) suggested that even after removing parts of the brain, the animals retain partial memory of the maze. Preview Question 6: How does the brain store our memories?

Synaptic Changes In Aplysia, Kandel and Schwartz (1982) showed that serotonin release from neurons increased after conditioning. Photo: Scientific American

Synaptic Changes Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) refers to synaptic enhancement after learning (Lynch, 2002). An increase in neurotransmitter release or receptors on the receiving neuron indicates strengthening of synapses. Both Photos: From N. Toni et al., Nature, 402, Nov. 25 1999. Courtesy of Dominique Muller

Stress Hormones & Memory Heightened emotions (stress-related or otherwise) make for stronger memories. Flashbulb memories are clear memories of emotionally significant moments or events Scott Barbour/ Getty Images

Storing Implicit & Explicit Memories Explicit Memory refers to facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare. Implicit memory involves learning an action while the individual does not know or declare what she knows.

A Case Study in Working Memory: Implicit memory: memory in which previous experiences aid in the performance of a task without conscious awareness of these previous experiences. We say these memories do NOT require executive control. Example: procedural memory: brushing your teeth, eating dinner with a fork Explicit memory is the conscious, intentional recollection of previous experiences and information. We say these memories DO require executive control. Example: recalling information for a test, recalling what time you have a destist appointment.

Exactly Where in the Brain is a Memory Located? Karl Lashley (1950): Trained rats to navigate maze Then, Cut out pieces of their brain. Then, Retested their ability to navigate maze. Preview Question 6: How does the brain store our memories? Findings: No matter what part of the brain was removed the rats retained some memory of what they had learned. What it means: memories are not stored in discrete, precise locations.

Hippocampus Hippocampus – a neural center in the limbic system that processes explicit memories. Weidenfield & Nicolson archives

Anterograde Amnesia (HM) After losing his hippocampus in surgery, patient Henry M. (HM) remembered everything before the operation but cannot make new memories. We call this anterograde amnesia. Anterograde Amnesia (HM) Memory Intact No New Memories Surgery

Implicit Memory HM is unable to make new memories that are declarative (explicit), but he can form new memories that are procedural (implicit). C B A HM learned the Tower of Hanoi (game) after his surgery. Each time he plays it, he is unable to remember the fact that he has already played the game.

Cerebellum Cerebellum – a neural center in the hindbrain that processes implicit memories.

Retrieval: Getting Information Out Retrieval refers to getting information out of the memory store. Preview Question7: How do we get information out of memory? Spanky’s Yearbook Archive Spanky’s Yearbook Archive

Measures of Memory In recognition, the person must identify an item amongst other choices. (A multiple-choice test requires recognition.) Name the capital of France. Brussels Rome London Paris

Measures of Memory In recall, the person must retrieve information using effort. (A fill-in-the blank test requires recall.) The capital of France is ______.

Measures of Memory In relearning, the individual shows how much time (or effort) is saved when learning material for the second time. List Jet Dagger Tree Kite … Silk Frog Ring List Jet Dagger Tree Kite … Silk Frog Ring 1 day later It took 10 trials to learn this list It took 5 trials to learn the list

Retrieval Cues Memories are held in storage by a web of associations. These associations are like anchors that help retrieve memory. water smell hose Fire Truck fire smoke truck heat red

Priming To retrieve a specific memory from the web of associations, you must first activate one of the strands that leads to it. This process is called priming.

Context Effects Scuba divers recall more words underwater if they learned the list underwater, while they recall more words on land if they learned that list on land (Godden & Baddeley, 1975). Preview Question 8: How do external contexts and internal emotions influence memory retrieval? Fred McConnaughey/ Photo Researchers

Déjà Vu Déjà Vu means “I've experienced this before.” Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier similar experience. © The New Yorker Collection, 1990. Leo Cullum from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved

Context Effects After learning to move a mobile by kicking, infants most strongly respond when retested in the same context rather than in a different context (Rovee-Collier, 1993). Courtesy of Carolyn Rovee-Collier, Rutgers University

Moods and Memories We usually recall experiences that are consistent with our current mood (state-dependent memory). Emotions, or moods, serve as retrieval cues. Our memories are mood-congruent. Jorgen Schytte/ Still Pictures

Forgetting An inability to retrieve information due to poor encoding, storage, or retrieval. The Case of A.J. Preview Question 9: Why do we forget?

We cannot remember what we do not encode. Encoding Failure We cannot remember what we do not encode.

Storage Decay Poor durability of stored memories leads to their decay. Ebbinghaus showed this with his forgetting curve.

Retaining Spanish Bahrick (1984) showed a similar pattern of forgetting and retaining over 50 years. Andrew Holbrooke/ Corbis

Retrieval Failure Although the information is retained in the memory store, it cannot be accessed. Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) is a retrieval failure phenomenon. Given a cue (What makes blood cells red?) the subject says the word begins with an H (hemoglobin).

Interference Learning some new information may disrupt retrieval of other information.

I need a volunteer that knows their colors. Don’t read the words, just say the colors they’re printed in and as fast as you can

Red Yellow Green Blue

Interference When you look at the words you see both its color and meaning. When they are in conflict you must make a choice Experience has taught you that word meaning is more important than color so you retrieve that information. You are not always in complete control of what you pay attention to.

Retroactive Interference Sleep prevents retroactive interference. Therefore, it leads to better recall.

Motivated Forgetting Motivated Forgetting: People unknowingly revise their memories. Repression: A defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness. Culver Pictures Sigmund Freud

Why do we forget? Forgetting can occur at any memory stage. We filter, alter, or lose much information during these stages.

Who is most susceptible to the misinformation effect? Memory Construction While tapping our memories, we filter or fill in missing pieces of information to make our recall more coherent. Misinformation Effect: Incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event. Who is most susceptible to the misinformation effect? Preview Question 10: How do misinformation, imagination, and source amnesia influence our memory construction? How real-seeming are false memories?

Misinformation and Imagination Effects Eyewitnesses reconstruct their memories when questioned about the event. Depiction of the actual accident.

Misinformation Group A: How fast were the cars going when they hit each other? Group B: How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?

Memory Construction A week later they were asked: Was there any broken glass? Group B (smashed into) reported more broken glass than Group A (hit).

Source Amnesia Source Amnesia: Attributing an event to the wrong source that we experienced, heard, read, or imagined (misattribution).

Children’s Eyewitness Recall Children’s eyewitness recall can be unreliable if leading questions are posed. However, if cognitive interviews are neutrally worded, the accuracy of their recall increases. In cases of sexual abuse, this usually suggests a lower percentage of abuse.

Memories of Abuse Are memories of abuse repressed or constructed? Many psychotherapists believe that early childhood sexual abuse results in repressed memories. However, other psychologists question such beliefs and think that such memories may be constructed. Preview Question 11: What is the controversy related to claims of repressed and recovered memories?

Constructed Memories Loftus’ research shows that if false memories (lost at the mall or drowned in a lake) are implanted in individuals, they construct (fabricate) their memories. Don Shrubshell

Consensus on Childhood Abuse Leading psychological associations of the world agree on the following concerning childhood sexual abuse: Injustice happens. Incest and other sexual abuse happen. People may forget. Recovered memories are commonplace. Recovered memories under hypnosis or drugs are unreliable. Memories of things happening before 3 years of age are unreliable. Memories, whether real or false, are emotionally upsetting.

Improving Memory Study repeatedly to boost long-term recall. Spend more time rehearsing or actively thinking about the material. Make material personally meaningful. Use mnemonic devices: associate with peg words — something already stored make up a story chunk — acronyms Preview Question 12: How can an understanding of memory contribute to more effective study techniques?

Improving Memory Activate retrieval cues — mentally recreate the situation and mood. Recall events while they are fresh — before you encounter misinformation. Minimize interference: Test your own knowledge. Rehearse and then determine what you do not yet know. © LWA-Dann Tardiff/ Corbis