Forgetting & Memory Construction Module 19

Which is the Right Penny? (From Nickerson & Adams, 1979)

Which is the Right Penny? (From Nickerson & Adams, 1979)

Forgetting: Encoding Failure

Encoding Failures people fail to encode info because: unimportant to them not necessary to know the info the brain’s ability to encode decreases as we age - parts of brain active during encoding respond more slowly

Forgetting: Storage Failure

Two Types of Storage Failure Decay: info that is not rehearsed disappears as time passes Displacement: info being held in STM is pushed out by newly arriving info; most likely occurs when the capacity limit of STM has been reached (7 chunks)

The Forgetting Curve (Adapted from Ebbinghaus, 1885) What trend do you notice in Ebbinghaus’ “forgetting curve?”

Forgetting: Retrieval Failure

Interference when one memory gets in the way of remembering another examples: remembering last year’s locker combination but not this years calling your current girlfriend’s house and asking to speak to your former girlfriend you can remember your current phone number but not your previous phone numbers

The Brain Documentary: Amnesia Clive Wearing

Motivated Forgetting motivated forgetting – having a reason to forget; scientific evidence supports this idea repression Sigmund Freud - psychoanalysis move anxiety-producing memories to unconscious means of protecting oneself from painful memories not well-supported by research; stressful incidents are actually more likely to be encoded

How is false information incorporated into constructed memories? Memory Construction How is false information incorporated into constructed memories?

Spend 30 seconds memorizing as many of the following words and phrases as possible: Outline Essay Notes Semester exam Due date Grading scale Assignment Unit test Handouts Tutor Chapter guide Textbook All-nighter Quiz Flashcards Review Lecture Vocabulary GPA Memorize Class project

Now… See how many of the words you can write down. Was the word lecture on the list? Was the word study on the list? Was the word grading scale on the list? Was the word school on the list?

Elizabeth Loftus researches memory construction found that subjects’ memories vary based on the wording of questions demonstrated the misinformation effect

Misinformation Effect incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event affects eyewitness testimony