Chapter 8 Memory and Information Processing

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

ability to store and later retrieve information about past events

Question 2

What were cognitive psychologists influenced by with regards to memory? (1) How do they define memory? (2)

Answer 2

• influenced by the rise of computer technology
• think of the brain as a computer that processes input and converts it to output
• hardware as brain & nervous system, software as rules & strategies

Question 3

Atkinson and Shiffrin’s model of memory - how many items can short term memory for how long?

Answer 3

holds about 7 items for several seconds

Question 4

Atkinson and Shiffrin’s model of memory - define sensory register

Answer 4

holds incoming information

Question 5

Atkinson and Shiffrin’s model of memory - define working memory. what is it also called?

Answer 5

• active form of short-term memory

- also known as the “mental scratch pad”

Question 6

Atkinson and Shiffrin’s model of memory - define long-term memory

Answer 6

relatively permanent store of information

Question 7

We use memory to problem solve.

Define problem solving. What control process do we use to problem solve, and what does it involve? (3) What can humans do? What happens to them?

Answer 7

• problem-solving: using information-processing system to make decisions
• executive control process: part of system that monitors activity
• executive process includes selection, organization, manipulation, and interpretation of information
• humans are parallel processors = can carry out several mental activities at a time
• many processes improve between infancy and adulthood then show some decline

Question 8

Memory in infants. How do we assess them? (3) (age) yo can recall from (time frame) (3). What does their memory depend on?

Answer 8

• asses infant memory with imitation, habituation, and operant conditioning techniques
• imitation: infants repeat activity it has seen
• operant conditioning (ex. children learn that car shakes when move their leg attached to the mobile. Recall later that car shakes)
• 3 month yo can recall 1 week ago, 6 mo yo 2 weeks, 18 mo 3 months
• memory appears cue-dependent and context-specific

Question 9

What can 6 month yo infants do with regards to memory? 9mo? 13 mo? 2 yo? older infants?

Answer 9

• 6 mo: imitate novel behavior
• 9: solve problem of reaching for an object out of reach (by using a stick for example)
• 13 mo: recall sequence of events, as long as 3 mo
• 2 yo: use words to reconstruct earlier events

-older infants: increasingly pay attention to cues provided by adults and let adults know they need assistance by doing things such as pointing or reaching

Question 10

What are the 4 major hypothesis for memory in children?

Answer 10

1. changes in basic capacities: more memory space & increase in speed of processing
2. changes in memory strategies: increasing use of effective encoding and retrieval strategies
3. increased knowledge of memory: how long to study & more positive study strategies
4. increased knowledge about the world: improved memory & familiar material easier to recall

Question 11

What are some strategies children use to remember? (6)

Answer 11

rehearsal, organization, chunking, elaboration, metamemory, autobiogrpahical memory

Question 12

memory in children - rehearsal. What age?

Answer 12

• repeating items in memory

- 5-7 yo

Question 13

memory in children - organization. At what age? How does it compare to the rehearsal?

Answer 13

• classifying items into meaningful categories (ex. animal)
• 9 yo
• mastered later than rehearsal

Question 14

memory in children - chuncking. What is an example?

Answer 14

• organizational strategy in which a long number is broken up into manageable subunits
• ex phone number

Question 15

memory in children - elaboration

Answer 15

actively creating meaning

Question 16

memory in children - metamemory

Answer 16

knowledge about remembering

Question 17

memory in children - metacognition

Answer 17

knowledge about how to memorize and think

Question 18

memory in the adolescent (4) What do adolescent girls do more than boys? What do students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds use more of?

Answer 18

• more deliberate, selective, spontaneous use of strategy
• greater functional use of working memory
• knowledge base continues to expand
• metamemory and metacognition improves
• adolescent girls
• use metacognition more than those from low socioeconomic background

Question 19

memory in adults

know on exam

Answer 19

• trouble recalling names
• upset at memory loss
• most noticeable for people in the 70s
• not all older adults experience memory difficulties
• problem-solving becomes vital
• slower at timed tasks
• use more explicit learning
• easier to recognize than to recall

Answer 20

-sensory register: holds incoming information