1. Forgetting, Memory Construction and Memory Improvement

2. Amnesia Retrograde Amnesia Anterograde Amnesia
Loss of memory from the point of an injury or trauma backward. Those who cannot remember their past
“Retro” means going backward, like a retro look for a party
Anterograde Amnesia
Loss of memory from the point of an injury or trauma forward. New, explicit memories cannot form but implicit, automatic memory not affected.

3. Two-track Mind
Case studies about these two types of amnesia confirm we have two distinct memory systems, controlled by different parts of the brain. Those with anterograde amnesia cannot recall new facts (explicit memory), they can be successful learning how to do new things (implicit memory).

4. Memory Failures
Forgetting for most of us is quite a bit less dramatic than those with amnesia.
There can be problems with:
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval

5. Encoding Failure
Much of what we sense we never notice. What we fail to encode, we don’t remember Encoding slows with age, so age can affect encoding

6. Failure to process information into memory
Encoding Failure
Failure to process information into memory
Which penny is real?

7. Encoding Failure

8. Retrieval Cues
Sometimes it helps to have some sort of stimulus to help us remember.
This is called a Retrieval Cue.
Priming
Context Dependent
State Dependent
Encoding Specificity

9. Storage Decay
Even after encoding something well, we sometimes later forget it. Herman Ebbinghaus conducted research in this area.

10. Storage Decay

11. Retrieval Failure
Often forgetting isn’t an issue of memories faded but its that they aren’t that important to us. However, sometimes important memories defy our attempt to retrieve them. Retrieval cues may help. Such as “It begins with an M.”

12. Retrieval Failure

13. Summary:
Forgetting can occur at any stage.
As we process information, we filter, alter, or lose much of it.

14. Are there advantages to forgetting stuff
Are there advantages to forgetting stuff? What would be the problem with not being able to forget anything? Jill Price

15. Interference
As you collect more and more information your mental attic gets cluttered. Sometimes your clutter interferes as new learning collides with old.

16. Interference
Proactive Interference is the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information. Retroactive Interference is the disruptive effect new learning has on the recall of old information.

18. Interference
Information learned in the hour before sleep is protected from retroactive interference. Old and new information do not always interfere with each other – sometimes it actually helps.

19. Memory Construction Errors
Misinformation Effect: incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event.

20. Memory Construction Errors
Misinformation Effect: incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event. Source Amnesia: attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. Déjà vu: Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger revival of an earlier event.

21. Improving Memory SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review
Rehearse Repeatedly:
Space the drills out
Make the material meaningful:
Create a story, or relate personally
Get some sleep!

23. Children’s Recall
How reliable are young children’s eyewitness descriptions,