Chapter 8 - Memory Stuff

Question 1

Explain semantic memory.

Answer 1

Long-term storage of facts that are not characterised by any particular personal context in which the individual acquired the facts - general knowledge.

Question 2

Explain iconic memory.

Answer 2

A sensory register for the fleeting storage of visual information.

• Lasts about 0.3 seconds.
• Unlimited capacity.

Question 3

Explain echoic memory.

Answer 3

Refers to our auditory sensory memory.

• Lasts about 3-4 seconds.
• Ulimited capacity.
• Fades slower than Iconic memory.

Question 4

What is a mnemonic device?

Answer 4

A form of elaborating rehearsal where the information is connected to material already in your long-term memory.
- Includes visualisation, verbalisation, rhythm and rhyme.

Question 5

Explain procedural memories.

Answer 5

One aspect of implicit memory. Memory for how to perform particular tasks, skills, or actions.

Question 6

Explain implicit memories.

Answer 6

Memories of skills, emotions, preferences and dispositions; also called procedural or nondeclarative memories. Processed in the amygdala (and MAYBE the cerebellum).

Question 7

Explain explicit memories.

Answer 7

Memories of facts, names, images and events; also called declarative memories.

Question 8

Explain declarative memory.

Answer 8

A long-term memory store of personal experiences (episodic) and facts (semantic).

Question 9

Explain episodic memory.

Answer 9

Memory of personal experiences.

Question 10

What does the episodic buffer do?

Answer 10

Helps retrieve information from LTM to associate with information that is in working memory, and to select and encode information from LTM.

Question 11

What are the functions of the central executive?

Answer 11

• Integrates information from the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad.
• Screening out irrelevant material.
• Changing attention from one item to another.
• Modifying items from LTM before re-committing them to memory through the episodic buffer.

Question 12

List the types of encoding from shallowest to deepest, and their respective % recall rate.

Answer 12

Shallow - Structural (20%)
Moderate - Phonemic (50%)
Deep - Semantic (80%)

Question 13

Explain structural processing.

Answer 13

Encoding according to physical features of the word (Eg. Long/short, upper/lower case etc.).

Question 14

Explain phonemic processing.

Answer 14

Encoding according to the sound of a word.

Question 15

Explain semantic processing.

Answer 15

Using the meaning of information or a word to encode it into memory.

Question 16

Explain proactive interference.

Answer 16

When previously learnt material inhibits our ability to encode and store new material.

Question 17

Explain retroactive interference.

Answer 17

When newly acquired material inhibits our ability to retrieve previously learnt material.

Question 18

Explain retrograde amnesia.

Answer 18

Inability to recall previously stored memories.

Question 19

Explain anterograde amnesia.

Answer 19

Inability to encode and store new memories.

Question 20

Distinguish between cued recall, serial recall and free recall.

Answer 20

Cued = Given clues (Eg. Being given a person's initials to remember their name).
Free = Any order.
Serial = Order in which it was presented.