Memory Short-Term Memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly

look up a phone number, then quickly dial before the information is forgotten

Long-Term Memory the relatively permanent and limitless

storehouse of the memory system Memory Championships, pi, test your

memory

Memory

Sensory Memory the immediate, initial recording

of sensory information in the memory system

Working Memory focuses more on the processing

of briefly stored information

A Simplified Memory Model

Externalevents

Sensorymemory

Short-termmemory

Long-termmemory

Sensory inputAttention to importantor novel information

Encoding

Encoding

Retrieving

Encoding

Ebbinghaus used nonsense syllables TUV ZOF GEK WAV the more times practiced on Day 1,

the fewer repetitions to relearn on Day 2

Spacing Effect distributed practice yields better

long- term retention than massed practice

Encoding

20

15

10

5

08 16 24 32 42 53 64

Time in minutestaken to relearnlist on day 2

Number of repetitions of list on day 1

Encoding: Serial Position Effect

12

Percentage of words

recalled

0

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Position of word in list

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Serial Position Effect--tendency to recall best the last items in a list

What Do We Encode?

Semantic Encoding encoding of meaning including meaning of words

Acoustic Encoding encoding of sound especially sound of words

Visual Encoding encoding of picture images

Encoding

Encoding Hierarchies

complex information broken down into broad concepts and further subdivided into categories and subcategories Encoding

(automatic or effortful)

Imagery(visualEncoding)

Meaning(semanticEncoding)

Organization

Chunks Hierarchies

Chunking…

                 

Storage:Sensory Memory

Iconic Memory a momentary sensory memory of

visual stimuli a photographic or picture image

memory lasting no more that a few tenths of a second

Tests of George Sperling Echoic Memory

momentary (3-4 sec) sensory memory of auditory stimuli

Storage:Short-Term Memory

Short-Term Memory

limited in duration and capacity

“magical” number 7+/-2(Miller, 1956)

0102030405060708090

3 6 9 12 15 18

Time in seconds between presentationof contestants and recall request

(no rehearsal allowed)

Percentagewho recalledconsonants

Storage:Long-Term Memory

How does storage work? Karl Lashley (1950) – Searching for “engrams”

rats learn maze lesion cortex test memory

Synaptic changes – “The Brain” Clip Long-term Potentiation (LTP)

increase in synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation

Strong emotions make for stronger memories

Stress Hormones and Memory

Stress hormones aide memory Hormone surge alert brain that something

important has happened. Physical or psychological pain, trauma create

surge Rat study – shot of hormones with a leg shock

Creates a very strong memory

Biological evidence for why emotional memories are stronger.

Stress Hormones and Memory

Stress hormones block and destroy memory Prolonged stress corrodes neural connections Memories can be blocked by stress hormones

Rats trying to find a hidden target Public speaking

Storage:Long-Term Memory

Amnesia--the loss of memory Retrograde Amnesia – mass forgetting

of old information Antrograde Amnesia – inability to form

new memories Oliver Sacks – “Jimmie” (earth from the

moon example), H.M., Clive Wearing

Childhood Amnesia – Why? (3 min) Amnesiacs demonstrate 2 forms of

memory…

Storage:Long-Term Memory

Amnesiacs Deny having seen an article and then read it faster Deny abilities to solve puzzle then complete it easily Childhood Amnesia – must have implicit memory in tact

Explicit Memory (Declarative Memory) memory of facts and experiences that one can

consciously know and “declare” Episodic Memory – personally experienced events Semantic Memory – facts, general knowledge

Implicit Memory (Non-declarative Memory) retention independent of conscious recollection Skills (procedural memory), classical-conditioned

responses

Storage: Long-Term Memory Subsystems

Types oflong-termmemories

Explicit(declarative)

With consciousrecall

Implicit(nondeclarative)

Without conscious recall

Facts-generalknowledge(“semanticmemory”)

Personally experienced

events(“episodic memory”)

Skills-motorand cognitive

Dispositions-classical and

operant conditioning

effects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grZuwo_YlY0

Long-Term Memory hippocampus--neural center in limbic

system that helps process explicit memories for storage

Processes explicit memories – then sent to multiple different regions.

Hippocampus

Memory & Stress

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHl7BewJ0yU&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Storage:Long-Term Memory

Cerebellum• Process implicitmemories