Unit 4: Memory & Learning 4.3 Stages of Memory

Sensory Memory – the first stage Immediate, initial recording of sensory information Lasts ½ - 2 seconds Unlimited capacity Memory Trace – impression made on our senses that lasts only for a second If we want to remember, we have to do something w/ the info S T I M U L A O N sensory storage

Sensory Memory – the first stage Iconic Memory Part of sensory memory that holds visual memory Something is seen and then disappears – lasts no more than 1/10 of a sec Echoic Memory - Momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli (sounds) If I show you this…. your iconic memory does this… …but faster!

Short Term Memory – the second stage Memory that holds info briefly before its stored or forgotten Also known as working memory Lasts about 18 seconds w/o rehearsal When actively thinking about something, you are using STM S T I M U L A O N sensory storage Attention/ focus STM

Short Term Memory – the second stage Candle Store Chair Phone Bike Ball Outrageous Cat Book Milk Clock Shoe Gym Plant Basket Dog TV Closet Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus found: Primacy Effect – tendency to recall the first items in a series Recency Effect – tendency to recall the last items in a series

Short Term Memory – the second stage 3947659271 394-765-9271 Most people can hold 7 items (+ or – 2) in STM at a time C. Chunking – organizing information into familiar or manageable chunks

Short Term Memory – the second stage D. Interference – process that occurs when new info is in STM and replaces what was already there ** Think of STM like a bookshelf – once the shelves are full, you can’t put a new book on w/o taking a book away. That is interference.

Long Term Memory – the third stage Stage of memory capable of large & relatively permanent storage No limit to how much can be stored in LTM Things like – names, dates, places, words, pictures, sounds, smells, etc * Estimated that a person stores more than 5x the amount of info found in the entire Encyclopedia Britannica