Types of Memory

pp 247-255, 266, 271-273

Information processing model

Senso

ry m

em

ory

Sensory memory

Senses

Vision: iconic memory

Auditory: echoic memory

Purpose?

Persistence: beyond physical duration

Record until further processing

Provides stability for senses

Photography: shutter speed

1/30 1/500

Sensory memory

Task: You will see a grid of 12 letters very

quickly. I will ask you to write down as many of

the letters as you can after they are flashed.

T B W C

P K S H

D M R L

Iconic memory: Sperling (1960)

Presentation time: 50ms

Whole report: 4 out of 12 (37%)

Auditory cue AFTER display

Partial report: 3 out of 4 (75%)

Rapidly decaying image!

T B W C

P K S H

D M R L

Short-term memory and Long-term memory

STM & LTM

Memory performance depends on three stages Encoding Storage Retrieval

Form of information Verbal (acoustic) Visual (picture)

Storage: What is capacity of STM? STM -> LTM

Rehearsal: use “inner voice” or“inner eye” Examine how we RETRIEVE information

Recall Recognition

Working Memory (WM)

WM: Short-term processing and storage of information

Phonological loop: verbal rehearsal

Visuospatial sketch pad: visuo-spatial rehearsal

Central executive: controls processing and allocates resources

Logie, Zucco, & Baddeley, 1990

Episodic vs. Semantic memory

Semantic memory

Memory for knowledge

What do people eat for breakfast?

Recall facts and knowledge

Episodic memory

Memory of events

What did you have for breakfast?

Recall a list of words

Distinguishes type of info learned, not when learned

Explicit vs. Implicit memory

Type of retrieval question

Explicit memory

Effortful, conscious recollection

Recall or recognition

Implicit memory

Remembering without awareness

Word fragment or identification

Procedural memory

Distinguishes how info is retrieved

Implicit memory tests

Picture: What do you see?

Word: Fill in the fragment.

Memory & Amnesia

Implicit vs Explicit memory

5

10

15

20

Free recall Recog PID Frag-Compl

Control

Amnesia

Warrington & Weiskrantz (1970)

Implicit vs explicit memory tests (fig above)

Jacoby & Witherspoon (1982) (text: pp 287)

Anterograde amnesia & homophones

Study: Hear “book-read” or “saxophone-reed”

Test: Asked to spell 2nd word in pair

Amnesia & Movies

Memento (2000)

Regarding Henry (1991)

Fifty First Dates (2004)

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Case study approach to study memory:

Amnesia

Retrograde amnesia

Can’t remember events prior to point of injury

“Soap opera amnesia”

Rare – and most can recover memory loss

Anterograde amnesia

Memory loss after point of damage

Cannot form new memories

E.g. H.M.; Korsakoff’s syndrome; viral encephalitis

Clive Wearing

Dense retrograde and anterograde amnesia patient

Born in 1938, contracted viral encephalitis in 1985

Previously a very successful musician

Husband to 2nd wife; has children from 1st marriage

BBC 2005 – “Man with the 7s memory” 20 yrs post injury – 67 yrs old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDNDRDJy-vo&feature=related

1998 documentary 13 yrs post injury – 60 years old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu9UY8Zqg-Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCyvzI2aVUo&fea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BrCBq2FY_U&feature=related

Thought paper

What is Clive Wearing capable of and not capable

of doing?

Provide examples for the below vocabulary in

your answer

Short-term memory vs. long-term memory

Explicit vs. implicit memory

Episodic vs. semantic memory