I have a photographic memory but once in a while I forget to take off the lens cap. - Milton Berle Forming & Using New Memories

What is memory? processes involved in retaining, retrieving, and using information about stimuli, images, events, ideas, and skills after the original information is no longer present

Control processes: active processes that can be controlled by the person model view of memory Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

Modal Model of Memory: Examples

Basic Terminology Rehearsal Encoding Storage Retrieval Forgetting

Modal Model of Memory: Sensory Memory Persistence of vision: retention of the perception of light Sparkler’s trail of light Frames in film

Modal Model of Memory: Sensory Memory

Echo (auditory) Similar to icon, BUT: Recall can be cued by category Echoes can last longer (up to 20 secs) Modal Model of Memory: Sensory Memory

Summary of Sensory Memory Sensory memories are modality specific have relatively large capacity (although short storage time) are relatively unprocessed (mostly physical, not meaningful, aspects)

barricade children diet gourd folio meter journey mohair phoenix crossbow doorbell muffler mouse menu airplane Subtract out from printed slides

Word list for a serial position curve experiment (A); typical results (B). Free-Recall Experiments Primacy effect Recency effect Modal Model of Memory: Short Term Memory

Capacity Miller’s “7 (plus or minus 2)” Digit Span Chunking Modal Model of Memory: Short Term Memory

Ericcson et al. (1989) S.F. had an initial digit span of 7 After 320 one-hour training sessions S.F. could remember up to 79 digits Chunking

Modal Model of Memory: Short Term Memory

Proactive interference Duration

Short-Term Memory Forgetting Retention duration Memory trace

Short-Term Memory Forgetting Is forgetting caused by decay or interference? Probe-digit task

Coding ? Modal Model of Memory: Short Term Memory

Working Memory Working memory differs from STM STM is a single component WM consists of multiple parts STM holds information for a brief period of time WM is concerned with the manipulation of information that occurs during complex cognition

Phonological Loop Word-Length Effect Memory for lists of words is better for short words than for long words It takes longer to rehearse long words and to produce them during recall

Phonological Loop Articulatory Suppression Prevent one from rehearsing items to be remembered Reduces memory span Eliminates word-length effect Reduces phonological similarity effect for reading words

Visuospatial Sketch Pad Brooks (1968) Memorize sentence and then consider each word (mentally) and either say “yes” if it is a noun and “no” if it is not point to a Y if word is a noun and a N if word is not

Visuospatial Sketch Pad Pointing was easier than speaking Pointing involved the visuospatial sketch pad and the phonological loop Speaking involved two verbal tasks which overloaded the phonological loop

Working Memory WM is set up to process different types of information simultaneously WM has trouble when similar types of information are presented at the same time

The Central Executive Controls suppression of irrelevant information