Psych 101 Dr. Harvey

Memory: Living with Yesterday

Fundamental Memory Processes Encoding Organizing and transforming incoming information to be entered into memory Storage Retaining information in memory Retrieval Accessing information previously stored in memory Rehearsal The continued activation of information to retain it in short-term memory

Different Memory Stores We have three different memory stores, or sets of neurons that maintain information Each memory store has a different… Duration: the length of time information is maintained Capacity: the amount of information that is maintained

Different Memory Stores Fundamental distinctions among memory stores Sensory Memory Short-Term Memory Long-Term Memory Rehearsal

Sensory Memory Very short memory store arising from the temporary activation of perceptual areas of the brain Characteristics Duration: Very short, typically less than 1 second Capacity: Large

Z R A T B S L D Q E K R Sensory Memory Sperling’s partial report technique: a tone indicated which row to report after the stimuli disappeared High tone = Top Medium tone = Middle Low tone= Bottom Z R A T B S L D Q E K R

Sensory Memory Sperling’s partial report technique Conclusions Large-capacity memory store that fades very quickly Information must be accessed before it fades or it is lost Attention is necessary to move information from SM to STM

Short-Term Memory Short-term memory store is the only memory store whose contents you are aware of Characteristics Duration: Several seconds without rehearsal, typically 30 seconds with rehearsal Capacity: Small, typically 5-9 items Processes in STM Chunking Rehearsal

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Working Memory (WM) WM was proposed to address the limitations of the original STM model Three components of WM Central executive Articulatory loop Visuospatial sketch pad (VSSP)

Long-Term Memory Long-term memory store containing the accumulated knowledge base, gives meaning Characteristics Duration: Hours to years Capacity: Huge-possibly limitless

Serial Position Effect Primacy Effect Recency Effect 100 Percentage Recalled 50 Note to Instructors: Before showing the graph, present students with the following list of words and plot the number recalled by serial position Word List: Ring, Tree, Rope, Wall, Pen, Nail, Roof, Monk, Nose, Lake, Pear, Lock, Wax, Store, Chair, Box, Car, Door, Rose, Wing, Clam Early Middle Late Serial Position

Serial Position Effect Based on what you now know about the different memory stores, how would you explain… The primacy effect? The recency effect? The poor recall for words in the middle of the list? How would the results change if… The words were presented at a very fast rate? After hearing the list of words, you had to count backward from 431 before writing down your answers?

Making Memories: Code A code is a type of mental representation, an internal “re-presentation” of a stimulus or event You can store information in a visual or verbal code vs. “Coffee and a muffin”

Making Memories: Code Information stored as one type of code does not need to match the original input Visual stimuli can be coded verbally Verbal stimuli can be coded visually Information stored and accessed as visual code will activate the visual processing areas of the brain (occipital lobe)

Consolidation The process of forming a relatively permanent memory trace in LTM may take several years! Patients who receive electroconvulsive therapy experience disruption of memory for recent events, even those that are no longer in STM. Older memories are unaffected.

Reconsolidation The simple act of recalling information can change the information. These changes are reconsolidated, restabilized as a stored structure. Different proteins undergo consolidation

Depth of Processing The success of learning new information depends upon the depth at which it is processed Organization and integration is the key to learning Intentional learning Incidental learning

Flashbulb Memories Highly emotional and detailed memories of personal experiences Where were you on September 11, 2001? Who were you with? What were you doing? How did you feel when you heard the news? Sugar pill vs. Norepinephrine blocker experiment Von Restorf effect

Types of LTM Long-Term Memory Explicit Memory Semantic Memory Implicit Memory Explicit Memory Semantic Memory Episodic Memory

Implicit vs. Explicit Memories Implicit memories Cannot be voluntarily called to mind and verbalized Include motor skills Explicit memories Can be voluntarily called to mind and verbalized Consist of both factual knowledge (semantic) and memory for personal experiences (episodic)

Implicit Memories: Skills Skills are sets of behaviors that can be applied to a variety of stimuli within a domain, such as riding a bike Initially, skills rely on controlled processing and given enough practice shift to rely on automatic processing

Biological Foundations of Memory Long-term potentiation (LTP) is the strengthening of the connections between the sending and receiving neurons that underlies memory storage

Retrieval: More Than the Past False memories Loftus and colleagues (1978) People watched a series of slides that showed a red Datsun stopping at a stop sign and then proceeding into an accident Participants were asked “Did another car pass the red Datsun while it was stopped at the stop sign?” OR “Did another car pass the red Datsun while it was stopped at the yield sign?”

What Causes Forgetting? Decay Theory that memories fade over time because relevant connections between neurons are lost Interferences Theory that the disruption of the ability to remember one piece of information is caused by the presence of other information Retroactive: New information interferes with old Proactive: Old information interferes with new

Amnesia Retrograde amnesia disrupts previous memories Infantile amnesia Anterograde amnesia leaves already consolidated memories intact but prevents the learning of new facts Patient H.M.

The Repressed Memory Debate Are they real memories that are forced out of consciousness and then later emerge, as hypothesized by Freud, or are they false memories? Evidence is mixed