1. Forgetting & Memory Construction
Module 19

2. Which is the Right Penny? (From Nickerson & Adams, 1979)

3. Which is the Right Penny? (From Nickerson & Adams, 1979)

4. Forgetting: Encoding Failure

5. Encoding Failures
people fail to encode info because:
unimportant to them
not necessary to know the info
the brain’s ability to encode decreases as we age - parts of brain active during encoding respond more slowly

6. Forgetting: Storage Failure

7. Two Types of Storage Failure
Decay: info that is not rehearsed disappears as time passes
Displacement: info being held in STM is pushed out by newly arriving info; most likely occurs when the capacity limit of STM has been reached (7 chunks)

8. The Forgetting Curve (Adapted from Ebbinghaus, 1885) What trend do you notice in Ebbinghaus’ “forgetting curve?”

9. Forgetting: Retrieval Failure

10. Interference when one memory gets in the way of remembering another
examples:
remembering last year’s locker combination but not this years
calling your current girlfriend’s house and asking to speak to your former girlfriend
you can remember your current phone number but not your previous phone numbers

11. The Brain Documentary: Amnesia
Clive Wearing

12. Motivated Forgetting
motivated forgetting – having a reason to forget; scientific evidence supports this idea
repression
Sigmund Freud - psychoanalysis
move anxiety-producing memories to unconscious
means of protecting oneself from painful memories
not well-supported by research; stressful incidents are actually more likely to be encoded

13. How is false information incorporated into constructed memories?
Memory Construction
How is false information incorporated into constructed memories?

14. Spend 30 seconds memorizing as many of the following words and phrases as possible:
Outline
Essay
Notes
Semester exam
Due date
Grading scale
Assignment
Unit test
Handouts
Tutor
Chapter guide
Textbook
All-nighter
Quiz
Flashcards
Review
Lecture
Vocabulary
GPA
Memorize
Class project

15. Now… See how many of the words you can write down.
Was the word lecture on the list?
Was the word study on the list?
Was the word grading scale on the list?
Was the word school on the list?

16. Elizabeth Loftus researches memory construction
found that subjects’ memories vary based on the wording of questions
demonstrated the misinformation effect

17. Misinformation Effect
incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event
affects eyewitness testimony