Information Processing and Memory

Eyewitness (subject comes in, takes object, students remember what they can)

“THE QUARTER CHECK” How many times have you seen a old quarter? Answer the following in 1 minute: Which President is on a quarter? Which way does this president face? What word appears above the president? Which words appear near the chin of the president? On the back of the quarter, what words are engraved above the eagle? Are the words “Quarter Dollar” shown anywhere on the quarter?

ANSWERS Which President is on a quarter? WASHINGTON Which way does this president face? LEFT What word appears above the president? LIBERTY Which words appear near the chin of the president? IN GOD WE TRUST On the back of the quarter, what words are engraved above the eagle? UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Are the words “Quarter Dollar” shown anywhere on the quarter? YES

Answer is A

I. Acquiring Information (learning and storing) Learning Curve -- gradual upward slope representing increased retention of material as a result of learning. Attention -- alert focusing on material Refers to a person’s alert focusing on material. When we ATTEND to something,we become physically aroused and this activates chemicals in the brain that aid our ability to learn.

I. Acquiring Information (learning and storing) Chemical influence on learning Stimulants -- can increase learning (caffeine and sugar) Strong stimulants -- can over stimulate the brain and cause the reverse (amphetamines - Speed) Depressants -- will block the firing of brain nerve cells and reduce learning (tranquilizers, alcohol, hot dogs, cold cuts) State-dependent learning -- learning and reproduction of the material are reliant on the condition of the body at the time of learning. Transfer of training -- learning task A will carry over to learning task B if there are similarities between them. Positive transfer -- transfer of learning that results from similarities between two tasks. Negative transfer -- previously learned task is interfering with the present one. Positive transfer – learning guitar teaches you sheet music which can help with learning another instrument like a piano Negative transfer – switching from manual to automatic transmission

Chemical Influence

II. Information Processing (learning and reproduction) Schema -- organized and systematic approach to answering questions or solving problems. (A framework) Special learning processes Elaboration -- the process of attaching the maximum number of associations to a basic concept or other material to be learned so that it can be retrieved more easily. Poets and fiction writers are masters of elaboration. Especially useful are colorful associations that grab your attention. EX: the 21st Amendment is for those 21 or older and not for teens (passed fourteen years after Prohibition started) Sweet like honey Fierce as a bear

II. Information Processing Cont. Mnemonic Devices -- unusual associations made to make material aid memory Can be useful in remembering names, routine tasks, information for tests. If images are to bizarre you won’t remember associations. Can help the slightly mentally challenged in learning and remembering. Won’t work unless you use them from the beginning with whatever you are trying to remember. It becomes hard to use them as you get older (keep your imagination active). Principle Learning -- focus on the basic idea behind what is being learned Tie the new material to be learned to a principle Chunking -- putting items into clusters or “chunks” so that the items are learned in groups rather than separately. EX: Pines, Oaks, Maples are all kinds of trees. EX: Baseball, Football, Volleyball, Basketball, and Soccer are all sports. Homes – huron, ontario, michigan, eire, superior Principle learning picking the odd one out of the sort, exhibited in many animals including pigdeons

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III. Retaining Information Principles of forgetting Forgetting -- an increase in errors in bringing back material from memory. Does not necessarily mean losing what we learn Could be the inability to retrieve material Other material may interfere (phone #) Overlearning -- rehearse something over and over beyond one perfect recitation (I pledge allegiance…) Recall -- bringing back and integrating many specific learned details (essays) Recognition -- recognize the right answer (multiple choice) Interference theory -- we forget because there is a conflict between new and old material in the memory system. Amnesia -- the blocking of older material or the loss of new ones. Caused by a blow to the head, major trauma, or an electric shock. Exaggerated on TV. Memory will usually come back. Serial position effect where in the piece of information effects what you know

III. Retaining Information Cont. Mechanisms of Memory The Physical process of how we encode memory is not exactly understood. It is believed to be similar to a computer analog. Humans have billions of nerve cells with millions of connections.

III. Retaining Information Cont. Memory System Sensory Memory -- system that includes direct receiver of information from the environment. Iconic memory -- a very brief visual memory that can be sent to the short term memory. Acoustic memory -- a very brief sound memory that can be sent to the short term memory. Short term memory (STM) -- memory that retains information for a few seconds to a few minutes. First place memory goes. Will only hold seven items: does not matter how long each of the seven items are (chunking) Material is either eliminated or moved to LTM. Consolidation - a memory solidifies over time, eventually becoming permanent. Long term memory (LTM) -- memory system that retains information for hours, days, weeks, months, or decades.

IV. Special Issues in Memory Eidetic Memory (photographic memory) -- an iconic memory lasting a minute or so that keeps images “in front of” the persons the objects can be counted or analyzed. Some people have longer iconic memories that may last up to a minute. Very few people have ever been found to have eidetic memory. Eyewitness memory Facts in real life seldom fit completely together; your mind fills in the blanks to have it make sense. (perception) Frequently fits stereotypes of “bad guys” Crimes usually take place quickly (no time for elaboration) Identification across racial lines is extremely poor. Kim Peek