MEMORY:REMEMBERING AND FORGETTING

THREE MEMORY PROCESSES Encoding – making a mental

representation to be placed into memory (meaningful association)

Storing – placing encoded information into permanent storage

Retrieving – getting or recalling information that has been placed in storage

WHAT DO WE REMEMBER?

Things that are unusualinvolve youare connectedyou can seeinterest you

SENSORY MEMORY

Initial sensory process

Raw form information from the senses

Held for a brief period from an instant to several seconds

SENSORY MEMORY

Iconic memory holds visual information ¼ second (after image)

Echoic memory holds auditory for 1-2 seconds (What? / Repeat)

SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Working memory – holds an average of 7-9 items of information usually 2 to 30

secondsphone numbers,

social security number

FEATURES OF SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Maintenance rehearsal – intentionally repeating or rehearsing informationremains longer in short –term

memory ○phone number

FEATURES OF SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Interference – new information enters short-term memory

pushes out current information forgetting the phone number

FEATURES OF SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Chunking – combining separate items into chunks of information (social security number, combination

lock)

PRIMACY vs RECENCY Primacy – better recall of information

presented at the beginning of a listmore time to rehearse

Middle of the list is forgotten unless the subject stands out

Recency – better recall of information presented at the end of a list in sensory memory

example – going to the store game

LONG-TERM MEMORY

Storing unlimited amounts of information over a long period of time

Transferring information from short-term to long-term memory

DECLARATIVE MEMORY: EVENTS, FACTS AND STORIES

Semantic – facts, concepts, words, definitions, language rules (learned in school)

Episodic – knowledge of events, personal experiences, places, songs, activities (episodes)

PROCEDURAL MEMORY

Memories for skills (bike riding, tooth brushing, driving)

Memories for conditioned fears and phobias (snakes, spiders)

ENCODING Automatic Encoding – transferring

information from short-term into long-term memory with little effort and little awarenessevents that hold your interest and attention

Effortful Encoding – working hard to repeat information and make associations between new and old information elaborative rehearsal

UNUSUAL MEMORIES

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

Occurs in adults –ability to form sharp detailed images after examining a picture or page

EIDETIC IMAGERY

Photographic memory in children

Ability to examine and remember details of a picture

Only 5% of children / lost by adolescence

FLASHBULB MEMORY

Vivid recollections – detail of dramatic, emotionally charged events

Lasting memory (accidents, romantic experiences, President assassinated)

REASONS FOR FORGETTING

FORGETTING Repressed Memories – mind

pushes a threatening or traumatic memory into the unconscioususually cannot be retrieved sometimes implanted by therapists

Poor Retrieval Cues – problem with mental reminders we create to access informationassociation between new information and

already learned information

RECALL AND RECOGNITION

Recall – retrieving information with no external cues or choices EX: fill in the blank on a test

Recognition – retrieving information with external cues EX: multiple choice, true-false,

matching test questions

FORGETTING

Amnesia –loss of memory may occur after a blow to the head, drug use, or psychological stress

INTERFERENCE Forget information because related

old or new information blocks or mixes up retrieval cue

Proactive interference – old information blocks new information “forward”

Retroactive interference – new information blocks old information “backward”

RETRIEVAL CUES

Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon

Unable to recall information from memory recall later in a

different situation Caused by

interference

STATE DEPENDENT LEARNING

Easier to recall information when you are in the same physiological state as when you originally encoded information

Anger – produces angry memories

Sadness – produces sad memories

EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY MISCONCEPTIONS

Juries assume eyewitness testimony to be accurate

Juries assume confidence as accuracy Misleading /biased questions by police Distinguishing among people of other

races Stress of violent crimes over non-

violent crimes Photos of suspects before reviewing a

line-up