Group 4General Psychology

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REMEMBERING AND

FORGETTING

to retain in the memory;  keep in mind; remain aware of

to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; think of again

Remembering

The persistence of learning over time through the storage and

retrieval of information.

Dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

Leave behind unintentionally

Forgetting

Forgetting

• Retroactive Interference: new information blocks out old information.

• Proactive Interference: old information blocks out new information.

Calling your new girlfriend by old girlfriends name.

Getting a new bus number  and forgetting old bus number.

Sensory Memory• Storing an exact copy of incoming information for a few seconds; the first stage of memory– Icon: A fleeting mental image or visual representation

– Echo: After a sound is heard, a brief continuation of the sound in the auditory system

Short-Term Memory (STM)

• Holds small amounts of information briefly– Working Memory: Another name for STM; like a mental “scratchpad”

– Selective Attention: Focusing (voluntarily) on a selected portion of sensory input (e.g., selective hearing)

– Phonetically: Storing information by sound; how most things are stored in STM by sound (phonetically)

• Very sensitive to interruption or interference

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

• Storing information relatively permanently 

• Stored on basis of meaning and importance

Eidetic Imagery (Somewhat Like Photographic Memory)

• Occurs when a person (usually a child) has visual images clear enough to be scanned or retained for at least 30 seconds

• Usually projected onto a “plain” surface, like a blank piece of paper

• Usually disappears during adolescence and is rare by adulthood

Theories of Forgetting

• Theories of forgetting can be difficult to test as we may in fact not forget, but have trouble retrieving information from storage.

• Therefore it is possible that these theories can explain why we are unable to retrieve a memory or why it is distorted.

Theories of Forgetting

• Two factors involved in forgetting:

• Accessibility: The information available can be accessed at a specific time/place.

• Availability: The information is represented in the memory.

Theories of Forgetting

Freud: Repression, conscious process of burying memories to protect ego.

The emotions associated with the repressed memory may be recovered, or express themselves through:

Dream Analysis.Hypnosis.Free Association.

Forgetting in STM.• Trace Decay: Unless

information is refreshed or rehearsed will spontaneously fade or decay over time.

• Displacement: Only a fixed number of slots in memory capacity. New information will displace old when capacity is reached.

Forgetting in LTM.

• Interference: More information will be stored and become confused together.

• Retrieval Failure: • Information may be

available but temporarily inaccessible

Cognition• Another term for thinking, knowing

and remembering

Maybe by studying the way we think, we can eventually think better.

Does the way we think really matter?

Concepts• A mental

grouping of similar objects, events, ideas or people.

• Concepts are similar to Piaget’s idea of….

In order to think about the world, we form……..

SchemasThese animals all look different, but they fall under our concept of “dogs”.

Prototypes

• A mental image or best example of a category.

We base our concepts on ….

•If a new object is similar to our prototype, we are better able to recognize it.

If this was my prototype of a man; then what am I?

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

Thinking

• Cognitive building blocks. 

• The processes of thinking are distributed throughout the brain, especially in the frontal lobe

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

Thinking—Three Components    (Mental Images)

• 1. Mental Images   (mental  representations of a previously stored sensory experience, including visual, auditory, etc.)

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

2. Concepts (mental representation of a group or category that shares similar characteristics)

– How do we learn concepts? a.    Artificial concepts are formed by logical, specific 

rules.b.    Natural concepts/prototypes are formed by our 

experiences in everyday life.c.    Hierarchies help us group concepts into 

subcategories within broader categories.

Thinking—Three Components (Concepts)

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

Thinking—Three Components An Example of Hierarchies

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007                     Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

3. Language (a form of communication using sounds and symbols combined according to specified rules)

Thinking—Three Components (Language)

Problem Solving

DEFINITION OF TERM

WHAT IS A PROBLEM?

- It is a situation you want to change.

THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

STAGE ONE Define the Starting Issue(s)

Define the Problem

Analyze the Situation

Understand the Issues

THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

STAGE TWOGenerate Ideas

Make Decisions

Evaluate Ideas

Find Solutions

THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

STAGE THREEAnalyze the Impact

Plan the Follow-through

Plan Your Action

Plan Your Action

PROBLEM-SOLVING

“HE WHO OWNS THE PROBLEM IS THE SOLUTION”

Thank you!

Thank you!!!