1. Influences on Learning and Retrieval

2. -There are many outside factors that can have an influence on our memories or our ability to learn. -We will examine 4 factors that can impact our ability to learn both positively or negatively 1.Attention Define this word -An alert focus on specific material, objects, people, etc.

3. What happens in our brains when we are paying attention? -Brain chemicals are activated -Neurotransmitters are at work helping electrical impulses move throughout our brain -This aides in retention of events, people, information, etc

4. 2. Chemicals How can chemicals influence our ability to learn? -Some chemicals can speed up our bodies just enough to help with learning -These are stimulants -Ex. Caffeine, sugar, some medications -Some will slow our body down and hurt our ability to retain information -These are depressants -Ex. Alcohol, tranquilizers

5. Is it possible that we remember information when we have a particular chemical in our body or are in the same physical state? -Yes. This is known as State- Dependent Learning. -Still research being done on this 3.Emotion -Subjects of research are often able to remember details of stories that are evoke emotions and feelings Why do we remember stories that emotional? -Increased brain activity caused by emotion leads to increased memory potential -What books/movies are the most memorable?

6. 4.Transfer What can happen if we have to learn a new task which is similar to one you already know? -Make it easier -This is known as positive transfer -Examples? -Bike->motorcycle -Smartphone->tablet -Surfing/wakeboarding->snowboard -Latin->Spanish

7. Are there times when having a skill or knowledge can make it more difficult? Yes -Negative Transfer -Golf swing->baseball swing -Conjugating Spanish-> conjugating French

8. How do our brains find the right information in our brain? With so much information how are we able to get what we need, when we need it? Many concepts regarding retrieval Recall- This is when we must actively reconstruct an event, person or some other type of information without any cues to help use construct the memory

9. Recognition When we have some bit of information that already exists or that is given to help use construct the memory There is usually some cue (familiar) that we have to go by Ex. Multiple choice test Schema This is the outline or pattern that our brains create to help us make sense of new information

10. A few methods/techniques that help us to remember 1.Elaboration -Make associations to information to aide in our memory -Attach as much information as we can to something to help us remember. 2.Mnemonic Devices -These are the unusual association or trick that we use to help our memory.

11. Examples of mnemonics? A.Acronyms -Making a new words from other words -Scuba -DARE B. Narratives chains -Making a story from information -Ex. King Phillip Came Over From Greece Saturday (Kingdom, Phylum,

12. What happens when we are unable to retrieve all the information or details of an event? -Confabulation We make up small details or fill in holes Over time what happens to our ability to retrieve? It is lost. 3 factors which contribute to forgetting 1.Interference-other stuff gets in the way 2.Repression- we purposefully but unknowingly want to forget (painful) 3.Decay-We lose the details or lose the memory altogether. -It is debated whether this is possible