MEMORY

- Recall / Recognition- - Forgetting

TODAY’S OBJECTIVES

Identify several memory retrieval processes.

Explain the processes involved in forgetting.

MAIN IDEA The brain has a tremendous

capacity for storing and retrieving information

But…stored info is useless unless it can be retrieved

Problem: memory stores thousands of items in such a way that you can find it when you need it Has to be organized in a way that it’s

easily retrieved Memory is efficient so even though

Psychologists don’t know how it is organized, they study of the processes of retrieval for clues.

RECOGNITION Memory retrieval in which a

person identifies an object, idea, or situation as one he or she has or has not experienced.

We can retrieve info pretty easily. Like a name or answer to a

question Has to be recognized in the

memory though Ex: We can recognize the sound

of a musical instrument no matter what tune is being played

Ex: Multiple Choice tests

RECALL Memory retrieval in which a

person reconstructs previously learned material

More difficult than recognition Involves more searching and

finding in the memory Involves knowledge, attitude,

expectations, and attention Remembering is an active

process guided by cues we receive from the environment

Ex: Essay questions

SCHEMAS Conceptual framework a person uses

to make sense of the world Sets of expectations about something

that is based on past experiences or knowledge.

Schemas affect that way that people “remember” things or information

Adults have more defined schemas so their “remembering” may be altered where as children have more eidetic memoryPhotographic memory that can recall

very specific details.Adults rarely have photographic

memory b/c their memory is based largely on their schemas

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY A person recollections of his or her own life

experiences Researchers have discovered that adults tend to

remember more from the second and third decades of their lives Probably b/c many novel experiences happen in

this time Complex and seem to contain unending strings of

stories and snapshots Usually organized in three levels1. Life time periods: something generic about high

school2. General events: trip you took after graduation3. Event-Specific knowledge: event that happened

on that trip Usually include reality and myth

Less about the facts and more about the meaning of the “stories”

EMOTIONAL MEMORIES

Remembering life experiences usually involves some level of emotion

The role of emotion in memory plays a considerable interest to research and the public

FLASHBULB MEMORIES: emotionally charged, significant events that people often recall with more accuracy and more vivid imagery than everyday eventsEx: September 11, 2001People are usually pretty confident

about the memoriesUsually more accurate than

everyday memories

EYEWITNESS MEMORY Memory is not a perfect

reflection of reality Distortions of memory is

particularly important when a person is called on to report what they saw or heard in relation to a crime

Eyewitness testimony may contain errors

Not often dramatic or traumatic for the person witnessing the crime Not an emotional memory Sensory memory is used in most

cases (last for seconds)

FORGETTING Memory is imperfect Not unusual for 2 people to

remember different things about one event

Forgetting: failure to recall information

Why do we forget?Encoding failure: occurs when the

info never reaches long term memory

Retrieval failure: include problems with storage, effects of time, brain’s condition

INTERFERENCE Theory: people forget, not

because memories are lost from storage but because other information gets in the way of what they want to remember

Proactive: when old interferes with new information“forward in time”

Retroactive: when new interferes with old info“backward in time”

Retrieval can get overloaded and people tend to forget

LET’S SEE HOW MEMORY IS….

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dna/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mfUGWif6pQ

EYE WITNESS TESTIMONY 1) Describe the circumstances that lead

to the wrongful conviction of Ronald Cotton.

2) 177 out of 230 wrongful convictions were because of eye-witness testimony. What are some factors that contribute to the unreliability of eyewitness testimony.

3) What are some things that policing agencies have done to combat the difficulty identifying suspects?