Download Memory - Hensley

Self-Defining Memories
• “The memories you have of your life experiences are what
truly make you unique.” (central to your identity)
•
Do you agree with the statement? Why or why not?
• According to Jefferson Singer’s research, self-defining
memories always retain 5 qualities:
•
•
•
•
•
Emotional Intensity: take hold of our feelings both positive and negative
Vividness: have intensity and clarity that highlights what matter most to us
Repetition: on average they recur between once a week and once a month
Connections to similar memories: tend to be part of a script (series of
memories that tend to overlap in their plot & major themes)
Lasting goals and unresolved conflicts: alert us to what matters most in our
lives
Fact or Falsehood?
1. Memory storage is never automatic; it always takes effort.
2. The day after you are introduced to a number of new students, you will more easily
recall the names of those you met first.
3. Memory aids are no more useful than simple rehearsal of information.
4. Only a few people have any type of photographic memory.
5. Although our capacity for storing information is large, we are still limited in the
number of permanent memories we can form.
6. We store information in memory as libraries store their books, that is, in discrete
precise locations.
7. When people learn something while intoxicated, they recall it best when they are
again intoxicated.
8. The hour before sleep is good time to commit information to memory.
9. Repeatedly imagining a nonexistent event can lead us to believe it actually
happened.
10. Children typically will repress any memory of having seen one of their parents
being murdered
.
Memory
The persistence of learning over
time through the storage and
retrieval of information.
Take out a piece of paper…..
• Name the seven
dwarves…..
Now name them…..
Was it easy or hard?
• It depends on several
things….
• If you like Disney
movies?
• When was the last
time you have seen
the movie?
• Are people around you
being a loud pain so
you cannot
concentrate?
Recall Versus Recognition
Recall
• you must retrieve the
information from your
memory
• fill-in-the blank or essay
tests
Recognition
• you must identify the
target from possible
targets
• multiple-choice tests
The Memory Process
Three step process….
1. Encoding: The processing
of information into the
memory system.
2. Storage: The retention
of encoded material over
time.
3. Retrieval: The process of
getting the information
out of memory storage.
Three Box Model of Memory
Sensory Memory
• A split second
holding tank for ALL
sensory information.
• Sperling’s research
on Iconic Memory
(momentary memory of visual
stimuli)
• Echoic Memory
(auditory stimuli)
Short Term Memory
• The stuff we encode
from the sensory goes
to STM.
• Events are encoded
visually, acoustically or
semantically.
• Holds about 7 (plus or
minus 2) items for
about 20 seconds.
• We recall digits
better than letters.
Short Term Memory Activity
Ways to remember things in
STM…so they go to LTM
• Chunking: Organizing
items into familiar,
manageable units.
• Mnemonic devices
• Rehearsal
Long Term Memory
• Unlimited
storehouse of
information.
• Explicit (declarative)
memories-conscious
memories, have to put effort
in to remember
• Implicit (nondeclarative) memoriesunintentional memories we
might not realize we have.
Explicit Memories
• Episodic Memories
– Specific events, episodes
of your life
• Semantic Memories
– General knowledge
Implicit Memories
• Procedural Memories
– Skills & how to
perform them (riding a
bike)
• Conditioned Memories
Take out a piece of paper and name all
the Presidents…
Encoding Information
• Primacy Effect
• Recency Effect
• Serial Positioning
Effect
Spacing Effect
• DO NOT CRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve
Course of forgetting is initially
rapid, then levels off with time
(e.g. you may forget what you
learned in your history class 3
years ago however, what you
remember now, you will probably
still remember 25 or more years
later.
Encoding Exercise
The Ways we can encode…
• Visual Encoding: the
encoding of picture
images.
• Acoustic Encoding:
the encoding of
sound, especially the
sounds of words.
• Semantic Encoding:
the encoding of
meaning.
The Context Matters!!!
• Flashbulb Memories
• Mood Congruent
Memory
• State Dependent
Memory
•
•
•
•
Constructive Memory
Memories are not always what they seem.
Elizabeth Loftus
A constructed memory is a created memory.
Misinformation effect
• Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB2OegI6wvI
• Assignment: Take notes on Loftus’ discussion. What does
she suggest about our memories? What does her
research indicate? Do you support her findings? Why or
why not.
Forgetting: Which is the accurate penny?
Forgetting
Getting a new bus
number and
forgetting old bus
number.
• Retroactive
Interference: new
information blocks
out old information.
• Proactive
Interference: old
information blocks
out new information.
Calling your new girlfriend by old
girlfriends name.
Storing Memories
Long Term-Potentiation
• long-lasting
enhancement in signal
transmission between
two neurons that
results from stimulating
them synchronously.
• In other words…they
learn to fire together
and get better at
it…creating a memory.