1. Capacity of Memory: Memory & Forgetting

2. Capacity of Memory Memory is limitless (LTM) however, we don’t store all of our experiences permanently. –WHY? Memory is limited by the amount of attention we pay to things.

3. Memory as Reconstructive Late 60s psychologists believed memories could be stimulated electrically during surgery. Today psychologists they believe memories are reconstructed in accordance with our beliefs and needs.

4. Schemas The mental representations that we form of the world by organizing bits of information into knowledge. –Draw a picture of a dog –Draw a picture of a balloon –Draw a picture of a house –How far is it from here to the office?

5. Forgetting Flip side of memory Can occur at any of the 3 stages of memory –Sensory: decay nearly immediately –STM: decay after 10-12 seconds –LTM: decay if not properly stored

6. Reindeer Exercise

7. 3 Memory Tasks 1. Recognition –A memory exercise in which one identifies objects or events that have previously been encountered. 2. Recall –Retrieval of learning information. 3. Relearning –Learning material a second time, usually in less time than it was originally learned.

8. Different Kinds of Forgetting 2 ways memory loss occurs from SM to STM: 1. Interference (new info disrupts old) 2. Decay –The fading away of memory (like burning a candle)

9. Repression –Freudian psychoanalytic find –Due to painful and/or unpleasant memories that make us feel anxiety, guilt or shame we push them out of consciousness.

10. Amnesia –A severe memory loss caused by brain injury, shock, fatigue, illness or repression Dissociative Amnesia –A severe memory loss caused by a psychological trauma which may lead to identity loss

11. Infantile Amnesia (effects episodic mem) –Failure to recall things that have happened to you before the age of two or three. –Rather any “memories” claimed are reconstructions from other memories or stories told. –Biologically: hippocampus (stores memory) is not fully matured & the brain pathways are incomplete. –Cognitively: no interest in remembering, episodes are weaved and details forgotten, limited encoding abilities.

12. Anterograde Amnesia Memory loss due to trauma to the head, an electric shock, or brain surgery.

13. Retrograde Amnesia Forgetting leading up to a traumatic event. Time leading up to a car accident Game in which you were knocked unconscious

14. Improving Memory Mnemonic Devices Form unusual associations Humorous or unusual Relate to things already known Elaborative rehearsal Drill & Practice- going over information repetitiously Learned to count, alphabet, facts, vocabulary