Memory Presented by Mike Michael

Definition of Memory

Information that has been stored for later recall.

Three Basic Types Of Memory

• Sensory Memory – recognition of information received by any of the senses.

• Short Term Memory – Also called Working Memory. Temporarily holds between 5 and 7 “chunks” of information.

• Long Term Memory – Allows the storage of virtually an unlimited amount of information.

Types and functions of Sensory Memory

• Visual Memory – This type of memory holds an impression of everything we look at for a brief moment.Stare at something for a long period of time and then look away and the object is still viewable.

• Echoic Memory – Sounds may seem to linger in our mind even after it has ceased.

What happens if one type of memory is damaged and lost?

That is exactly what happened to British Conductor and musician Clive Wearing.

A brain infection left him with a memory of only 10 seconds.

He still plays the piano very well but does not remember ever playing in the past.

You would have to introduce yourself to him every 10 seconds.

He still remembers his wife, but every 10 seconds he thinks she just arrived.

Memory loss can occur from many things.Two of the most common are:

• Brain Injury – In some cases reversible.

• Alzheimer's – No cure yet. Although caffeine is showing some promisingresults with rats.

The stages of healthy memory.

Stage 1 – Encoding Perceiving and categorizing information received from sensory memory.

Stage 2 – StoringMoving information from sensory to short term memory and to long term memory if needed.

Stage 3 – RetrievalAccessing information that has been stored.

Memory is still a mystery to psychology. Many Psychologist theorize that a physiological change takes place within the synaptic areas to create a memory.

Although Psychologist do not fully understand the changes that take place they do understand how to enhance memory.

Lend a hand to your memory

Method of Chunking Grouping information into meaningful portions.

Pros• Usually Effective

• Quick.

• Great for numbers and small bits of information.

Cons• Not everyone can

master it.

• Information is not retained long term.

• Cannot be used when dealing with large amounts of information.

Method of Loci Assigning pictures along a route to information.

Pros• Can be effective once

mastered.• Only takes a short time

to form associations.• Great for lists.

Cons• Travel route needed.

• Associated objects

must be recalled also. • Cannot be used when

dealing with large amounts of information.

Method of Narrative Story Information is formed into a story.

Pros• Has proven very

effective.

• Makes information interesting.

• Great for lists and numbers.

Cons• Imagination needed.

• The whole narrative

story must be remembered.

• Makes recalling more time consuming.

Method of Relearning

The method of relearning only seems to have cons.

• It is very time consuming. • Information is learned and once forgotten it is

relearned.• Less than 50% effective.

Theory of State-Dependent Memory

This theory states that an individual will recall information more effectively if he or she is in the same state as when the information was first encoded. Some examples would be:• Taking a test in the same room where the lecture

was given.

• Studying without music if the same music will not be available during the test.

Method of overlearning

Information is understood and studied continually after learning.

• Extremely effective because information is always being reintroduced to the mind.

• Can be used when learning small or large amounts of information.

• Has a very high likelihood of permanent memory retention.

• Is a continual process. Some may consider this a con.

False and Implanted Memories

What exactly are false memories

• False and implanted memories are memories of events that never occurred.

• These memories can be implanted by other people.

• Dreams from childhood may seem to be a memory now and not a dream.

• Many innocent people have been incarcerated due to false memories.

Summary• Memory is stored information.

• Damage to the brain can cause various memory problems.

• Most effective ways to memory retention are:• Writing what we hear and reading aloud what we write. • Continually reviewing the information. (Overlearning)• Have an understanding and interest in what is being

learned.

• It is possible to have memories of events that never occurred.