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Memory

• - biological process that is interrelated with functioning of various physiological and cognitive processes
• - different aspects of memory are affected by internal and external environments
• - memory differs in duration and capacity
• - working memory is a dynamic system
• - medial temporal lobe (MTL) and hippocampus play major role in LTM

Types of Memory

• - Learning// permanent change in behavior that results from experience
• - memory// mechanism that allows us to retain and retrieve information over time
• - STM// moment to moment conscious thoughts and perceptions (fleeting)
• - Working memory// set of mechanisms that works with STM and communicates with LTM (semipermanent and aids with learning)

Working Memory

• - one of the most important mental facilities, critical for planning, problem solving and reasoning ( remembering phone #s, calculating a top, driving with directions)
• Works like a mental blackboard, or workspace that produces a temporary holding story so that relevant info is highly/easily accessible and available for inspection and computation

Sensory Memory

• - buffer system to host incoming info long enough for us to pay attention to it
• - Different sensory systems (auditory/visual) have their own types of buffer
• - holds info in an unanalyzed way, in almost its most basic sensory form
• - Pre-categorial Storage:
• Letter size, brightness, location= sensory storage
• Letters vs #s, vowels vs consonant = NON sensory

STM

• - 'Magic Number 7' (Miller), +2/-2 things we can remember in STM
• - chunking// memory unit of putting large amounts of info into smaller chunks// 9117044112016 --> 911-704-411-2016
• must be in some sort of pattern
• must be familiar to the person
• available in LTM
• - STM relies on LTM to function efficiently (memory span is influenced by preexisting knowledge)

Brown-Peterson Task

• - remember 3 items
• - count backwards by 3 to prevent rehearsal
• - unrehearsed info stays in STM up to 18 seconds

Rehearsal