Psych Fair Game Sheet Final- MEMORY

Pioneered the experimental study of memory by testing his own ability to memorize and retain lists of nonsense syllables Consonant- Vowel- Consonance Bab, gix, bop, kip, poy, sik, nip

more time in between, more you forget

Momentary storage of sensory information Partly a consequence of rate of recovery of sensory receptors from stimulation (afterimage) Lightbulb flash Only lasts a couple of seconds

Temporary storage of recent events Holds only a few items (5-7 typically) Phonological loop Keep repeating numbers to yourself Last only a very short period (~30”) Requires sustained attention Very vulnerable to distraction Circulating Verbal STM often tested using memory span Aided by chunking Best seen as “scratchpad” or working memory Organizes information for consolidation into LTM

Capacity limits are unknown. Includes both intentional and incidental memory, with intentional memory more effective. If it’s not something we try to remember, you won’t remember it Lasting memories occur only after age 3 or 4 (childhood amnesia).

Incidental: remember something that happened to you Intentional: trying to remember something specific

Free recall, cued recall, recognition, and savings are tests of explicit memory (direct memory) That is, someone who states an answer regards it as a product of his or her memory In implicit memory, an experience influences what you say or do even though you might not be aware of the influence (indirect memory)

Procedural: memories of motor skills such as walking and talking (implicit) Declarative: memories we can readily state in words

Semantic: memory of general principles and facts Episodic: memory for specific events in a person’s life

How easily you retrieve a memory depends on the number and types of associations you form

The associations you form at the time of learning will be the most effective retrieval cues

Any memory aid that relies on encoding each item in a special way

Primacy: the tendency to remember well the first items Recency: the tendency to remember the final items

Memories you will always remember

During an original experience, we construct a memory. When we try to retrieve that memory, we reconstruct an account based partly on surviving memories and partly on our expectations on what must have happened