AP Psychology: Memory (Modules 26-30)

Learning that has persisted over time, information that has been stored and can be retrieved

1. Encoding: Get information into our brain.

2. Storage: Retain information.

3. Retrieval: Get information back out.

The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; brain’s natural mode of information processing

The neural connections chance, forming and strengthening pathways that allow you to learn and interact with the environment

1. Sensory Memory: First record of to-be-remembered information; fleeting

2. Short-term memory: Processed from sensory memory; encoding through rehearsal

3. Long-term memory: Moved from short-term memory to here after enough rehearsal

First record of to-be-remembered information; fleeting

Processed from sensory memory; encoding through rehearsal

Moved from short-term memory to here after enough rehearsal

A newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

Organizing items into familiar, manageable united; often occurs automatically

Ex. words (KLCISNE vs NICKELS)

Memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Ex. Peg-word system (“one is a bun; two is a shoe; three is a tree…”)

Systems in which concepts are arranged from more general to more specific

We retain information better when our rehearsal is distributed over time

Repeated quizzing of preciously studied material

Visual and acoustic encoding; the encoding of picture images and sound

Ex. Is the following word in capital letters? BRAIN
Does the previously mentioned word rhyme with train? Yes.

Semantic encoding; the encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words

Ex. Would the word “shoe” fit in this sentence?
The girl put the ___ on the table.

Deep

A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

Ex. Sperling’s Experiment: When shown a group of letters, people could recall rows if asked to recall rows, but only half of all the letters if asked to recall all of the letters

A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can be recalled within 3-4 seconds

Ex. When you’re in a conversation and your focus briefly shifts from the person to the TV

7 + or - 2

Infinite

Hippocampus

Memories are filed and processed for later retrieval. Greater hippocampus activity during sleep = better memory.

Implicit Memories

Explicit Memories

A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or events

Ex. Hearing about the 9/11 attack

Amygdala

AKA declarative memory. Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." Encoded through effortful processing.

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

AKA non-declarative memory. Retention independent of conscious recollection; learning how to do something. Encoded through automatic processing.

Unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings

1) Space - recognizing the place on a page where certain material appears when studying
2) Time - noting the sequence of the day's events
3) Frequency - how many times things happen (ex. "This is the third time I've run into her today.")

An increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

1) Recall - the ability to retrieve information not in conscious awareness; measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier as in a fill-in-the-blank test
2) Recognition - a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple choice test
3) Relearning - a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

The ability to retrieve information not in conscious awareness; measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier as in a fill-in-the-blank test

A measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple choice test

A measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

It's easier to remember material after reviewing material over time.

1) Mnemonic devices - memory aids that use vivid images or organizational devices
2) Associations formed at the time a memory is encoded (tastes, smells, sights)

The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

"I've experienced this before." French for already seen. Cues from a current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

The tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood

Absent mindedness or inattention to detail

Forgetting novel information easily is common, but over time, retention levels off after its initial drop.

Review, repeat and rehearse the material you are trying to learn.

The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

Ex. Knowing a friend's old college email address makes it harder to remember their new email address.

The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

Ex. Learning a new password for a bank debit card makes it harder to remember the password for an ATM card that had been used for a long time.

In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings and memories

Sigmund Freud

Incorporation misleading information into one's memory of an event

Elizabet Loctus

Attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about or imagined; at the heart of many false memories (AKA source misattribution)

No, because memory heavily relies on reconstruction as well as reproduction, thus unreal memories feel like real memories.

• Make up and use mnemonics.

• Study material multiple times, using spaced practice.

• Give meaning to the material; make connections.

• Re-create the mood and situation in which your original learning occurred.

• Minimize interference. Sleep after studying.

• Sleep more.

• Quiz yourself on material often.