Memory Memory the persistence of learning over time

Memory

Memory: the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

Flashbulb memory: memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

How does memory work? The Seven Dwarves

Grouchy, Gabby, Fearful, Sleepy, Smiley, Jumpy, Hopeful, Shy, Droopy, Dopey, Sniffy, Wishful, Puffy, Dumpy, Sneezy, Lazy, Pop, Grumpy, Bashful, Cheerful, Teach, Shorty, Nifty, Happy, Doc, Wheezy, and Stubby

Sleepy Dopey Grumpy Sneezy, Happy Doc Bashful.

Encoding – memory in Storage – retain memory Retrieval – getting it back out If you had trouble remembering the dwarves, at what point did your memory fail you?

Turn to a partner. Tell them what time you got up. What did you have (or not have) for breakfast? Who have you talked to today? What classes have you had so far? How did you get here? Do you remember the path you took?

Automatic processing – unconscious encoding of incidental information Space – you know where you’ve been (more or less); words on a page Time – sequence of events Frequency – how many times things have happened We can learn to process things automatically ereh tsomla si kaerb retniw This is called procedural memory Walking; riding a bike etc.

Effortful processing requires attention and conscious attention It requires Rehearsal, the constant repetition of information 12 Days of Christmas

12 drummers drumming 11 pipers piping 10 lords a leapin’ 9 ladies dancing 8 maids a milking 7 swans a singing 6 geece a laying 5 golden rings 4 calling birds 3 french hens 2 turtle doves 1 partridge, and also, 1 peartree

The amount remembered depends on time spent learning. Even if you forget, relearning is easier if you spent a lot of time remembering in the first place How much psychology will you remember in 2 years?

Serial position effect Presidents

1. Washington 12. Taylor 2. J. Adams 13. Fillmore 3. Jefferson 14. Pierce 4. Madison 15. Buchanan 5. Monroe 16. Lincoln 6. J. Q. Adams 17. A. Johnson 7. Jackson 18. Grant 8. Van Buren 19. Hayes 9. Harrison 20. Garfield 10. Tyler 21. Arthur 11. Polk 22. Cleveland 23. Harrison 34. Eisenhower 24. Cleveland 35. Kennedy 25. Mc. Kinley 36. L. Johnson 26. T. Roosevelt 37. Nixon 27. Taft 38. Ford 28. Wilson 39. Carter 29. Harding 40. Reagan 30. Coolidge 41. H. W. Bush 31. Hoover 42. Clinton 32. F. D. Roosevelt 43. W. Bush 33. Truman 44. Obama

Encoding- Serial Position Effect Percentage of words recalled 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Position of word in list 10 11 12

Forgetting Percentage of list retained when relearning • Ebbinghausforgetting curve over 30 days – initially rapid, then levels off with time 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 12345 10 15 20 25 Time in days since learning list 30

Ebbinghaus Studied TUV nonsense syllables YOF GEK XOZ Spacing Effect – distributed practice yields better long-term retention than massed practice (studying a little every night is better than cramming) Study, wait, study, wait a little longer etc.

How memory is encoded Visual encoding – images Acoustic encoding – sounds Semantic encoding – meaning

context A newspaper is better than a magazine. A seashore is a better place than the street. At first it is better to run than to walk. You may have to try several times. It takes some skill but is easy to learn. Even young children can enjoy it. Once successful, complications are minimal. Birds seldom get too close. Rain, however, soaks in very fast. Too many people doing the same thing can also cause problems. One needs lots of room. If there are no complications, it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an anchor. If things break loose from it, however, you will not get a second chance.

Encoding Meaning “Whale” Q: Did the word begin with a capital letter? Structural Encoding Shallow Q: Did the word rhyme with the word “weight”? Phonemic Encoding Intermediate Q: Would the word fit in the sentence? He met a _____ in the street. Semantic Encoding Craik and Lockhart (1972) Deep

Things that are represented visually in the mind are more easily remembered (as opposed to abstract things)

Rosy Retrospection We tend to recall events more positively than we experienced them at the time Mnemonics Acronyms – memory aides (Kings Prefer Coke Over Flavored Grape Soda) Peg word system

Chunking – organizing into meaningful units Pledge of Allegiance

1 -7 -7 -6 -1 -4 -9 -2 -1 -8 -1 -2 -1 -9 -4 -1

4 -7 -6 -1 -4 -5 -3 -1 -9 -4 -7 -1 -7 -8 -9

Storage Sensory Working/short-term Long-term

Sensory Memory Iconic memory: momentary photographic memory (a few tenths of a sec. ) Flashlight Echoic memory: Like iconic memory. Sounds can be remembered for about 3 -4 seconds. Iconic 0. 5 sec. long Echoic 3 -4 sec. long Hepatic < 1 sec. long

Working/Short-term memory Working/short-term Magical memory 7 (+-2) Only about 4 chunks without rehearsal

It is possible to memorize these numbers in short period of time? Can you do it? 71014172124283135

Long-Term Memory Essentially limitless “total memory capacity of all the computers in the world is less than a single brain”

Where are our memories? Not in one spot Hippocampus and cerebellum are both involved Synaptic changes- the more a memory is rehearsed, the easier the synapses release serotonin, and the more receptor sites there are Knockouts

Stress and memory – strong emotions contribute to memory; weak emotions mean weak memories Extreme stress can impair memories

Explicit and Implicit memories Amnesia (anterograde and retrograde) Implicit – learning how to do something Explicit – declaring that you know

Retrieval Recognition and recall (recognition tests provide more retrieval cues) We remember more than we recall We re-learn things easier Context Effects – have you ever walked into a room to do something, and then forgotten what you came to do? What often helps you remember? déjà vu Mood congruence – affects how we recall events and how we see current events

Rest

Snore

Sound

Tired

Bed

Comfort

Awake

Eat

Wake

Dream

Slumber

Night

Deja Vu decreases with age and increases with education and income. is more common in persons who travel, remember their dreams, and have liberal political and religious beliefs. is most likely to be triggered by a general physical context, although spoken words alone sometimes produce the illusion. is experienced mainly when people are indoors, engaged in leisure activities or relaxing, and in the company of friends. is relatively brief— 10 to 30 seconds—and is more frequent in the evening than in the morning and on the weekend than on weekdays. is responded to more positively than negatively, with people typically indicating they are surprised, curious, or confused.

Forgetting A. J. Forgetting curve Retrieval failure Interference Motivated forgetting Repression?

“Seven Sins” of Forgetting Transience Absent-mindedness Blocking Misattribution Suggestibility Bias Persistence

1) transience Transience: the impermanence of long-term memories -based on the idea that memories gradually fade in strength over time-also known as “decay theory. ” Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve For most memories, there is a sharp decline in memory, followed by declining rate of loss

2) Absent-mindedness: forgetting caused by lapses in attention. Ex. Forgetting where you parked; losing your keys Penny

3) blocking Blocking: forgetting when a memory cannot be retrieved because of interference. Proactive Interference: When an old memory disrupts the learning and remembering of a new memory. Ex. Trying to put the dishes away at a new house Retroactive Memory: When a new memory blocks the retrieval of an old memory. Ex. Driving an automatic after driving a manual

4) misattribution Misattribution: Memory faults that occur when memories are retrieved, but are associated with the wrong time, place or person. Ex. Psychologist Donald Thompson was accused of rape. His alibi was airtight as he was giving a TV interview the victim had been watching just prior to the assault. Source amnesia/source misattribution

5) suggestibility Suggestibility: The process of memory distortion as the result of deliberate or inadvertent suggestion. Eyewitness accounts are a large part of our legal system. Unfortunately they can be incredibly faulty. With the misinformation effect, memories can be embellished or even created by cues and suggestions.

Memory Construction Misinformation Imagination Effects Source amnesia/source misattribution

Loftus and Palmer: Methodology Students watched a film of two cars colliding Collision was moderate with no broken glass Different students asked different questions: hit, smashed, collided, bumped, contacted

Loftus and Palmer: Results VERB MEAN ESTIMATE OF SPEED (MPH) Smashed 40. 8 Collided 39. 3 Bumped 38. 1 Hit 34. 0 Contacted 31. 8 People reported the fastest speeds if the researchers had used the word “smashed” in the question From fastest to slowest reported speeds: smashed, collided, bumped, hit, and contacted groups

Loftus and Palmer: Results One week later, subjects were asked if they had seen broken glass 32% of subjects asked the “smashed” question said yes; 14% of subjects asked the “hit” question said yes

6) bias Bias: The influence of personal beliefs, attitudes and experiences on memory. Expectancy Bias: A memory tendency to distort recalled events to fit one’s expectations. Self-consistency Bias: A commonly held idea that we are more consistent in our attitudes and beliefs, over time, than we actually are.

7) persistence Persistence: A memory problem where unwanted memories cannot be put of our mind. Depressed people cannot stop thinking about how bad their life is and how unhappy they are. It can create a self-fulfilling problem. Psychologists think that emotions strengthen the physical changes in the synapses that hold our memories, thus highly emotional memories can be harder to put of mind.

Improving Memory Study repeatedly to boost long-term recall. Spend more time rehearsing or actively thinking about the material. Make material personally meaningful. Use mnemonic devices: 1. 2. 3. 4. § § § associate with peg words — something already stored make up a story chunk — acronyms

Improving Memory 5. 6. 7. Activate retrieval cues — mentally recreate the situation and mood. Recall events while they are fresh — before you encounter misinformation. Minimize interference: 1. 2. Test your own knowledge. Rehearse and then determine what you do not yet know. © LWA-Dann Tardiff/ Corbis

CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR THE PSYCHIATRICALLY CHALLENGED Schizophrenia: Do You Hear What I Hear? Multiple Personality Disorder: We Three Queens Disoriented Are Amnesia: I Don't Know if I'll be Home for Christmas Narcissistic: Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me Manic: Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and. . . Paranoid: Santa Claus is Coming to Get Me Borderline Personality Disorder: Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire Personality Disorder: You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll tell You Why Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells. . . Agoraphobia: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn't Leave My House Autistic: Jingle Bell Rock and Rock. . . Senile Dementia: Walking in a Winter Wonderland Miles From My House in My Slippers and Robe Oppositional Defiant Disorder: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus So I Burned Down the House Social Anxiety Disorder: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate

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