Human Memory

Human Memory

1. Forgetting

   • Ebbinghaus forgetting curve: graphs retention and forgetting over time. It shows a precipitous drop in retention during the first few hours after the nonsense syllables were memorized.
   • Three measures of retention: recall, recognition and relearning
   • Ineffective encoding: Craik and Lockhart's three levels of processing explains that some ways of encoding are most effective than others.
   • Decay: Decay theory proposes that forgetting occurs because memory traces fade with time.

2. Retrieval

   • Tip of the tongue phenomenon: Temporary inability to remember something you know, accompanied by a feeling that is just out og reach

3. Storage

   • Sensory memory preserves information in its original sensory form for a brief time, usually only a fraction of a second. It allows the sensation of visual pattern, sound or touch to linger for a brief moment after the the sensory stimulation is over.
   • Short term memory: is a limited capacity store that can maintain unrehearsed information for about 20 seconds. Chunking is an example of short term memory
   • Duribility of stoarge: without rehersal, information in short term memory is lost in less than 20 seconds
   • Capacity of storage: Short term memory is also limited in the amount of numbers it can hold.
   • Maitenance rehearsal: Just done to keep it in memory. Eloborative rehersal: Think more about it so you are more likely to remember it later
   • Long term memory: Unlimited capacity store that can hold information for days, weeks or years.
   • Flashbulb memories: Vivid and detailed recollections of momentous events. Recent research shows they may be permanent and accurate.
   • Conceptual hierarchies and long term memory: Some types of information can be organized into a multilevel hierarchy of concepts
   • Schemas: an organized cluster of knowledge about a particular object or event abstracted from previous experience with the object or event. People sometimes exhibit better recall of things that violate their schema based expectations.
   • Semantic networks have been proven useful in explaining why thinking about one word can make a closely related word.

4. Encoding

   • Encoding involves forming a memory code
   • Stoarge involves maintaing encoded information in memory over time.
   • Retrieval incolves recovering information from memory stores.
   • Three levels of encoding: Structural encoding, which is relatively shallow processing that emphasizes the physical structure of stimulus. Phonemic encoding: which, emphasizes what a word sounds like. Semantic encoding emphasizes the meaning of verbal input.

5. Anatomy of memory

   • 7 sins of memory
     • Transience is the simple weakening of a memory over time
     • Absentmindedness refers to a memory failure that is often due to failure to pay attention.
     • Blocking is an often temporary problem that occurs when we fail to retrieve an item of information, such as somebody's name.
     • Misattribution we assign a memory to the wrong source.
     • Suggestibility our memory is distorted.
     • Bias refers to inaccuracy due to to the effect of our current knowledge on our reconstruction of the past.
     • Persistence, involves unwanted memories or recollections that you cannot forget.
   • Implicit versus Explicit Memory: information that you have to consciously work to remember is known as explicit memory, while information that you remember unconsciously and effortlessly is known as implicit memory.
   • Episodic memory system is made up of chronological, or temporary dated, recollections. Semantic memory is facts.
   • Retrospective memory involves remembering events from the past or previously learned information.
   • Prospective memory involves remembering to perform actions in the future
   • Sensory memory- Capacity to preserve sensory information in its original form for 1/4 of a second. e.g. after image or sparkler
   • Short-term memory: Limited capacity store that can maintain unrehearsed information for up to 20 seconds.
   • Long term memory: Unlimited capacity store that can hold information for days, weeks or years. Can be permanent.

6. Attention: focusing awareness on a narrowed range of stimuli or events.

7. The coctail party phenomenon shows that we can talk to one person in a room of other conversations but tune out most everything unless we hear our own name. There is a problem if people try stay in two conversations at one. One will suffer.

8. Effortful processing or intentionally listening to remember information.

9. Automatic processing: remembering something without intending to

10. Elabortion: Linking the to be remembered information to some other information at the time of encoding

    • Visual imagery: Creating mental pictures to represent the information you want to remember.
      • Dual coding theory: Memory is enhanced by forming semantic (meaning) and visual codes since either can lead to recall.
    • Self referent encoding: involves deciding how or wether information is personally relevant studies have been done where word have been flashed on a screen and people have been asked to think of how it relates to them . This improves memory for the words because it promotes additional elaboration and better organization of the information

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