PE 302 Motor Learning Memory Components, Forgetting, and Strategies

Working/Short Term Memory Key Term:working memory – a functional component of the structure of memory that operates to temporarily store and use recently presented information; it also serves as a temporary works space to integrate recently presented information with information retrieved from long-term memory to carry out problem solving, decision-making, and action preparation activities Duration: minutes Capacity: 7 (+/-) 2 bits of information Processing Activity: Clumping information

How do we clump/cluster information so that it is easier to remember? We tend to remember what we see first and last and forget the middle. Our capacity to remember is 7 (+/-) 2 (discrete) bits of information

Long-term memory Key Term: long-term memory – a component of the structure of memory that serves as a relatively permanent storage repository for information Procedural Memory: How to do things? Semantic Memory: General Knowledge Episodic Memory: Our experience

Long Term Memory declarative knowledge – knowledge about “what to do” in a situation; it is typically easy to verbalize. procedural knowledge – knowledge that enables a person to know “how to do” a skill; it is typically difficult to verbalize, or is not verbalizable. Exp: An athlete can perform a skill but they cannot always explain how they did it.

Remembering and Forgetting Encoding: a memory process involving the transformation of information to be remembered into a form that can be stored in memory Storage: placing information in long-term memory. We have an unlimited capacity to store information in our brain. We typically only use about 10% of our brain’s capacity. Rehearsal: transferring information from working memory to long-term memory. Retrieval: a memory process involving the search through long-term memory for information needed to perform the task at hand.

Assessing Remembering and Forgetting 1.Explicit memory tests recall test – an explicit memory test that requires a person to produce the required response with few, if any, available cues or aids. Exp: Essay (Tell me what you know) recognition test – an explicit memory test that requires a person to select the correct response from several alternative responses. Exp: Multiple Choice, Matching, etc… 2.Implicit memory tests: Skills Test, perform the skill rather than explain how to do it.

Why People Forget 1.Trace decay: If you do not use it, you will lose it. 2.Proactive interference: a cause of forgetting due to activity that occurs prior to the presentation of the information to be remembered. 3.Retroactive interference: a cause of forgetting due to activity that occurs after the presentation of the information to be remembered, during the retention interval

Strategies that enhance memory performance 1.Increasing a movement’s or activity’s meaningfulness. (imagery, attach a verbal label/teaching cue, use mnemonics) 2.The need/intention to remember. (Will the information be used later?) 3.Subjective organization: arranging large amounts of information in a meaningful way to the person performing the task. (chunking, clumping, clustering, or grouping) 4.Repitition: Practice the task.

Assessment Activity Pick a number between Multiply the number times 9. This should give you a two digit number add those digits together or use the single digit number. Subtract 5 Make that number correspond with it’s list in the alphabet (1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C,…) Pick a country that starts with that letter. Take the last letter of that country and pick an animal that starts with that letter. Take the last letter of that animal and pick a fruit that starts with that letter.

WOW!!! I didn’t know they let Kangaroos with Oranges cross the border into Denmark!