1. Unit 4: Memory
5.3.16

2. Part Five
Retrieval

3. Retrieval Method of getting information out of memory storage
3 types of retrieval:
Recall: the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test
Recognition: the person must identify items previously learned, like a multiple choice test
Relearning: amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

4. Retrieval Cues
Memories are held in storage by a web of associations. These associations are like anchors that help retrieve memory.
water
smell
hose
Fire Truck
fire
Handout 9-7
smoke
truck
heat
red

5. Retrieval Cues
When you encode into memory a target piece of information, such as the name of the person sitting next to you in class, you associate it with other bits of info

6. Retrieval Cues
These other bits of info act as tags, hints, or identifying marks on the target info for when you want to retrieve it later

7. Retrieval Cues
The more retrieval cues you have, the better your chances of recalling the information

8. Priming
To retrieve a specific memory, you first need to identify one of the strands that leads to it, a process called priming
Priming: the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.
How to you spell shop?
What do you do when you come to a green light?

9. Expertise & Retrieval Rate
2 volunteers who know a lot about music
2 volunteers who don’t know much
Knowledge in an area of expertise is more accessible (i.e. more quickly retrieved) because of the greater quality & quantity of knowledge facilities spreading activation

10. Context Effects
Putting yourself back in the context where you experienced/learned something can prime your memory retrieval
p.372 pencil story

11. Context Effects
Scuba divers recall more words underwater if they learned the list underwater, while they recall more words on land if they learned that list on land (Godden & Baddeley, 1975).
Fred McConnaughey/ Photo Researchers

12. Context Effects Free-recall demo
I will show you a series of words, then ask you to write down as many as you can remember

13. rest

14. snore

15. sound

16. tired

17. bed

18. comfort

19. awake

20. eat

21. wake

22. dream

23. slumber

24. night

25. Context Effects Write down as many words as you can remember aardvark?
sleep?

26. Context Effects Why did so many of you “remember” sleep?
Associations can cause a person to feel that an event has occurred when it really did not
Déjà vu: the eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before”. Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience

27. Context Effects Déjà vu
2/3 of people have had at least one déjà vu experience, typically people report having more than one
30+ scientifically plausible explanations
Biological dysfunction
Divided perception
Implicit familiarity
Déjà vu facts (p.18)

28. Moods & Memories
We usually recall experiences that are consistent with our current mood. Emotions, or moods, serve as retrieval cues.
Mood-congruent memory: tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood