Memory and Models of Memory

Introductory Psychology

What is Memory?

• Mental ability to retain and recall past experience

• Based on mental processes of– Learning– Retention– Recall and Retrieval

The Basic Memory Process

Encoding Storage Retrieval

Part 1 - Encoding

The process of converting physical stimuli into a form that the brain’s memory system

can interpret and use

Physical stimuli Encoding

Types of Encoding

1) Acoustic: Sounds, spoken words

2) Visual: Images, “mental snapshots”

3) Semantic: “General meanings”– Concepts and ideas

• Dual Coding: Using 2+ types of encoding– More effective

What type of encoding would be used to memorize this picture?

Visual encoding, of course!

How about this problem…?

Semantic encoding – the idea of addition is conceptual

What about this last one…?

Trick question! It’s visual AND acoustic (dual coding)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzlm9OVpvU&feature=plcp&context=C3f0f838UDOEgsToPDskKvmmlg5165l9EZxd1uYEaK

Part 2 - Storage

The process of keeping memories intact in the brain’s memory system over time

Types of Memories

1) Episodic – Specific events or “episodes”

2) Procedural – Information on how to do things– Repetition is key– How to ride a bike, tie shoes, walk, etc

3) Semantic – Generalized knowledge of concepts– NOT based on specific events

Checkpoint! What types of memories are described in the following?

1) Knowledge of how to take a shower– Procedural memory

2) Information about Newton’s three laws of motion– Semantic memory

3) Memory of going to Disneyland the summer before 3rd grade?– Episodic memory

Part 3 – Retrieval

The process of “locating” specific memories in storage and bringing

them into consciousness

Types of Retrieval

1) Recall – Unaided retrieval of memories– Free response questions, oral exams

2) Recognition – Retrieval with help of hints– Easier than recall–Multiple choice tests

Categories of Memories Retrieved

• Explicit – Deliberately remembered

• Implicit – Unintentional recollection– Influence of prior experiences– Unconscious, you have no control over

this– “Good guys” and “bad guys”

Models of Memory

1. Levels of Processing (LoP)

States that the quality of memory is based on the degree that information is processed

• More examples• Last night’s TV show

Quality means that memories are… – Properly stored– Easily recalled– Not quickly forgotten

Two Types of Rehearsal

• Rehearsal – Mental techniques used to remember information

• Maintenance – Repeating information over and over– No connections – Rote memorization of facts

• Elaborative – Relating new and old information– Builds connections– More effective over time

Connection Questions

Consider the following situation…

Questions: 1. What type of rehearsal is each student using?

2. Who will (most likely) remember the prefixes longer?

3. How can you use your knowledge of rehearsal and the LoP model to study more effectively?

2. Transfer Appropriate Processing (TaP)

States that memory quality increases if retrieval process matches original encoding process

3. Parallel Distributed Processing (PDP)

Memories exist in a “network.” New experiences alter this network and change one’s knowledge

base

Birds

Lay Eggs

Mammals

Robin

PlatypusParrot

Roadrunner

Flamingo Elephant

Squirrel

Crocodile

PDP Model, Continued

• More connections, information stored longer

• Parallel processing – Portions of network activate simultaneously– Helps draw inferences

Birds

Lay Eggs

Mammals

Robin

PlatypusParrot

Roadrunner

Flamingo Elephant

Squirrel

Crocodile

4. Information Processing Model

Stimuli must pass through sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory in

order to be stored well in memory

StimuliSTM Sensory LTM

Stage 1 – Sensory Memory

• Holds large amounts of information very briefly

• Sensory Registers – Store incoming stimuli long enough for further processing– 1 or 2 seconds

• Perception – When information is encoded– Forgotten if not percepted

• Selective Attention – Focusing mental resources to specific stimuli – Filter– Prevent against brain overload

Memorize the following sequence in 10 seconds…

• 1, 5, 3 • 2, 7, 9, 3• 2, 1, 3, 5, 6, 0, 7• 5, 3, 2, 1, 7, 9, 8, 9, 9• 2, 0, 3, 2, 9, 8, 7, 5, 3, 2, 8, 9, 5, 2

Stage 2 – Short Term Memory (STM)

• 7 +/- 2 item memory span

• Chunking – Grouping items meaningfully– Thinking of two 9’s as one item– Increases STM capacity

• 18 second duration

• Uses mainly acoustic and partially visual encoding

Stage 3 – Long Term Memory (LTM)

• Unlimited capacity (hypothetically)

• Duration: 18+ seconds to forever

• Mainly semantic, partially visual encoding

Serial Position EffectRelating STM and LTM

• Serial means “in order” • Given a list of items in a certain order…

Why?

Serial Position Effect, continued

• Primacy Effect – Good recall for 1st few items– More time to commit to LTM

• Recency Effect – Good recall for final items – Item still accessible in STM– Not as strong as primacy effect– “Cramming”

So which model is correct…?

• What do you think?

• Most likely, each theory has some truth

Tune in next class for “Remembering and Forgetting”

The End

SourcesImage, slide 1: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stpf5Ne2Qds/TmofNF_Cz8I/AAAAAAAADec/gR26IbT6oQ0/s1600/Pump+memory.jpg

Image, slide 6: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Keqs_young_european_hedgehog1.jpg

Video (created by me), slide 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzlm9OVpvU&feature=plcp&context=C3f0f838UDOEgsToPDskKvmmlg5165l9EZxd1uYEaK

Image, slide 9: http://www.learningsuccess.com/memory_bank1.jpg

Image, slide 14: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PVAImJGSvbE/TrXfdH9Cj3I/AAAAAAAAAH0/ah4rnlfwVEQ/s1600/badguy_snidelywhiplash.jpg

Image, slide 15: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b3zeGvTktAU/TUvgDANyjJI/AAAAAAAABec/lquwRVNzLog/s1600/Cogs+memory.jpg

Graph, slide 27: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/Serial_position.png

Note: Pictures on slides 4, 7, 11, 12, 17, and 18 are Microsoft Office clip art pieces