1. Model of Memory RETRIEVAL Turning now to Long-Term Memory ATTENTION
Sensory Signals
Sensory Memory
Short-Term Memory
Long-Term Memory
REHEARSAL

2. Long-Term Memory Characteristics (intuitive with some introspection):
Persists indefinitely (up to decades!)
Requires no active process of rehearsal (at least that we are conscious of)

3. Long-Term Memory Characteristics (intuitive with some introspection):
Persists indefinitely (up to decades!)
Requires no active process of rehearsal (at least that we are conscious of)
What are some examples of Long-Term Memories?

4. Some Distinctions in LTM
Endel Tulving: There are two broad categories of information that are represented in LTM -
Examples:
What did you eat for breakfast?
What is the capital of Canada
Where were you when…
Are maple trees deciduous?
Riding a bike !?

5. Some Distinctions in LTM
Endel Tulving: There are two broad categories of information that are represented in LTM -
Episodic Memory: memory of an event in your life
autobiographical
has a temporal context - something about time is encoded along with the memory

6. Some Distinctions in LTM
Endel Tulving: There are two broad categories of information that are represented in LTM -
Semantic Memory: memory of facts, knowledge of the world
unconnected to an autobiographical event
no temporal context

7. Some Distinctions in LTM
A third category may be distinguished:
Example: riding a bike, playing an instrument

8. Some Distinctions in LTM
Procedural Memory: memory for actions

9. Semantic Memory
Capacity is huge (unlimited?)

10. Semantic Memory
Structure of encoding is associative

11. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
Evidence: Semantic Priming in a Lexical-Decision Task
Priming: prior exposure to some stimulus modifies subsequent processing of a target

12. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
Evidence: Semantic Priming in a Lexical-Decision Task
Lexical Decision Task: Subject is shown a target word or pronounceable non-word (eg. gap or fap) and must respond “word” or “non-word”

13. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
Evidence: Semantic Priming in a Lexical-Decision Task
manipulation: prime can be either related or unrelated to the target word

14. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
Evidence: Semantic Priming in a Lexical-Decision Task
result: words are identified faster when preceded by a semantically related prime
Prime Target Response
“space” “gap” fast
“truck” “gap” slow

15. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
Evidence: Semantic Priming in a Lexical-Decision Task
Interpretation:
the representation of information in semantic memory is associative:
each fact or piece of knowledge is stored along with its relationship to other stored information
related items can activate each other which facilitates recall

16. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
Example: Accessing a memory that is “on the tip of your tongue”
you’re trying to rent a movie but you can’t recall the title of the one you have in mind, you scan through the associated facts: the actors, the plot, the setting, etc. until the title surfaces
each recalled piece of knowledge “activates” related knowledge until the title is sufficiently activated

17. Semantic Memory Structure of encoding is associative
This idea is formalized in so-called “connectionist” networks
skiing
highschool
mockingbird
Mr. Lacey
To Kill A Mockingbird
canary
bird
English
racism
chicken
Martin Luther King

18. Episodic Memory
Memory for an episode or event in your own life

19. Episodic Memory Memory for an episode or event in your own life
Has temporal context (entails a sense of duration and date)

20. Episodic Memory Memory for an episode or event in your own life
Has temporal context (entails a sense of duration and date)
examples:
recall breakfast
what happened this weekend

21. Recalling Episodic Memory
Recall is highly sensitive to context - Similarities in context (especially smell) can trigger vivid recollections

22. Recalling Episodic Memory
Memory is affected by the nature of your engagement with the information
Levels-of-Processing Theory

23. Recalling Episodic Memory
Memory is affected by the nature of your engagement with the information
Levels-of-Processing Theory
Consider this experiment:
List
CAT
pie
PILLOW
TREE
Method of Learning
stating capitals or lower-case
repeating words
putting words into a sentence
Recall is tested some time later.

24. Recalling Episodic Memory
Memory is affected by the nature of your engagement with the information
Levels-of-Processing Theory
Consider this experiment:
List
CAT
pie
PILLOW
TREE
Result:
Best recall with “deep” processing
Worst recall with “surface” processing

25. Recalling Episodic Memory
Memory is affected by the nature of your engagement with the information
Interpretation:
the successful use of memory depends on the number of connections that are made between related items and the degree to which these are initially activated

26. Recalling Episodic Memory
context is critical!
location, physiological state, etc. affect ability to recall
e.g. lists of words are recalled better when recalled where they were first learned

27. When You Don’t Remember
Two reasons why you don’t remember:

28. When You Don’t Remember
Two reasons why you don’t remember:
Unavailable
It wasn’t successfully encoded - something went wrong while you were studying

29. When You Don’t Remember
Two reasons why you don’t remember:
Unavailable
It wasn’t successfully encoded - something went wrong while you were studying
Inaccessible
memory is stored but cannot be retrieved, perhaps because appropriate connections aren’t being made

30. Recalling Episodic Memory
Recall is a generative processes rather than simply calling up stored data

31. Recalling Episodic Memory
Recall is a generative processes rather than simply calling up stored data
Evidenced by the fact that episodic memories can be distorted or completely false under certain circumstances