32.1 – Describe the capacity and location of our long-term memories. Long-term memory is the “warehouse” that stores a limitless amount of information over a period of time. Long-term memory capacity is essentially limitless. Memories are not stored in just one location in the brain; many parts of the brain interact as we encode, store and retrieve information.
32.2 – Describe the roles of the frontal lobes and hippocampus in memory processing. Explicit-Memory System: The Frontal Lobes and Hippocampus Explicit Memory (Declarative Memory): Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare”. New and unusual information requires attention and effort. When you summon a past experience, many brain regions send input to your frontal lobes for working memory processing. The left and right frontal lobes process different types of memories. Hippocampus – a neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage. Memories are not permanently stored in the hippocampus. Instead, this structure seems to act as a loading dock where the brain registers and temporarily holds the elements of a remembered episode. Amnesia: loss of memory During sleep the hippocampus processes memories for later retrieval. Sleep supports memory consolidation.
32.3 – Describe the roles of the cerebellum and basal ganglia in our memory processing. Implicit Memory: Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia Implicit Memory (Nondeclarative Memory): Retention independent of conscious recollection. Some information is automatically processed. It skips encoding and jumps directly to storage. Contain procedural information, like skills. The cerebellum plays a key role in forming and storing the implicit memories created by classical conditioning. The basal ganglia facilitate formation of procedural memories for skills. Infantile Amnesia: our conscious memory of our first three years is blank. Two influences contribute to infantile amnesia: First, we index much of our explicit memory using words that nonspeaking children have not learned. Second, the hippocampus is one of the last brain structures to mature.
32.4 – Discuss how emotions effect our memory processing. Stress Hormones and Memory Stress hormones provoke the amygdala to initiate a memory tract to boost activity in the brain’s memory-forming areas. Heightened emotions (stress-related or otherwise) make for stronger memories. Flashbulb memories: the significance and personal meaning of an event can help retrieve more vivid memories.
32.5 – Explain how changes at the synapse level affect our memory processing. Aplysia (California Sea Slug) Synaptic Changes Long-Term Potentiation (LTP): refers to an increase in a synapse’s firing potential after learning. An increase in neurotransmitter release or receptors on the receiving neuron indicates strengthening of synapses.
32.6 – Explain how memory is measured. Measuring Retention Recall: a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learning earlier (fill-in-the-blank test). Recognition: a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned (multiple-choice test). Relearning: a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material again.
32.7 – Describe how external cues, internal emotions, and order of appearance influence memory retrieval. Retrieval Cues: are clues, or hints, that help trigger a long-term memory. Retrieval Cue Failure: when a retrieval cue does not trigger a long-term memory. Memories are held in storage by a web of associations. These associations are like anchors that help retrieve memory. Priming: a process that refers to activating and associating the strands of memories positioned in the semantic network. Priming often occurs unconsciously.
32.7 – Describe how external cues, internal emotions, and order of appearance influence memory retrieval. Context Dependent Memory: refers to retrieving information in the same setting in which the information was encoded. The encoding specificity principle states that retrieval is more effective when retrieval conditions are similar to those that were in effect when the information was encoded, or learned. State-Dependent Memory: a person’s internal state can also serve as a retrieval cue. Mood congruence effect is when emotions and moods help retrieve memories. Serial Position Effect: our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first items (primacy effect) in a list.