Unit 1: Intro to Memory

What’s the word I’m looking for?

• Definition: Favoritism shown or patronage granted by persons in high office to relatives or close friends

Memory

• Learning that has persisted over time– Information that has been stored and can be

retrieved

Try this: Recite the second sentence of the Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible, for liberty and justice for all.

Information Processing Models of Memory

3 Key Processes in Memory

• Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval• CPU: keyboarding, drive/saving, opening a file

– What are the issues with the CPU analogy?

• Read the following sentence• Spring is theThe most beautifulTime of the year.

How good is your “computer”?

Information Processing Models cont’d

1. Connectionism – 2. Atkinson and Shiffrin’s 3 Stage Model

• Sensory memory - fleeting• Short-term memory – where we encode through

rehearsal• Long-term memory – where we retrieve info

later

TOO SIMPLE!

Why is it too simple?

• We are automatic processors• Working memory: focus on conscious/active

processing of incoming sensory information WHILE ALSO considering overlapping long term retrieval of information

• Varies person to person• So we use the three stage model, but you

MUST consider the above information• Example?

• First think, “What does attention have to do with memory?”

Are stimuli are screened out earlier or later in our cognitive awareness?

• Location of attention filter may not be fixed (like Atkinson and Shiffrin’s model)

3. Selective Attention Model

• Attention = _________ filter– Where is filter located?

• Early during sensory input or later during processing??

Sensory Detection

Recognition of meaning

Responseselection

ResponseStimulus

Early-selectionmodels placethe filter here

Late-selectionmodels placethe filter here

• Cocktail party effect:

• Does the filter happen earlier or later?

• Location of filter depends on “cognitive load”• Multi-tasking

Is it possible for you to actually multitask?

How we encode

1. Automatic Process• Parallel processing

• A. Space• B. Time• C. Frequency• D. Well-learned

2. Effortful Process• Requires rehearsal

(conscious repetition) to create durable memories

Is it only ever one or the other?

• NO!– Effortful can become automatic through

____________

Example?

Principles of Remembering (encoding)

• The more repetition one day, the less required to relearn the next.– The amount of something remembered depends

on the amount of time spent learning

• Overlearning -

Ebbinghaus’ Retention Curve

How do we learn/encode best?

• Spacing effect– Distributed study time– Testing effect– Massed practice

• Serial position effect– Recency effect– Primacy effect

Those who learn quicklyforget quickly

What we encode

• What’s the difference among these three? How do you tell the difference?– Eye scream– I scream– Ice cream

• Levels of processing– Context/experience/interpretation allow for

coding differences

Levels of Processing Theory

Levels of processing cont’d

• Visual Encoding

• Acoustic Encoding

• Semantic Encoding

Two codes are better than one!

• Self-reference effect• Imagery

– Mental pictures– Easier to recall items that have clear images

• Encoding activity

Visual Encoding - imagery

• Rosy retrospection• Mnemonics – some rely on visual cues, others

on acoustic cues• Purpose it organize

info for later retrieval

– Peg words– Method of loci

The best way to organize info for later is through…

• Chunking– Acronyms

• Hierarchies• Principles of learning