Long Term Memory Unit 2

Question 1

What makes it easier to retrieve a semantic memory?

Answer 1

Organization by association
Typicality/relevance

Question 2

Semantic memories are ____ connected to their source

Answer 2

Semantic memories are rarely connected to their source

Question 3

Semantic memories are collective and shared. Provide an example of this.

Answer 3

A desk is a desk, and everyone who speaks English would recognize a desk as a desk

Question 4

Describe Meyer and Schvaneveldt’s study about recognizing if words existed.

Answer 4

Paired two words (examples: blicket-sandal
nurse-doctor (associated)
bread-cloud (unassociated words), and asked participants to evaluate if they knew the words existed. It was found that participants were faster and more accurate when words are associated, implying they are linked in memory

Question 5

Describe spreading activation with the word “nurse”.

Answer 5

Nurse is a node, and nearby nodes are associated words. The stronger the association the faster the priming is for nearby words. (First thing you think when you think about nurse is doctor)

Question 6

What are the three models of semantic memory?

Answer 6

Hierarchical models, adaptive control of thought models (ACT models), and parallel distributed (PDP) models

Question 7

Describe the structure of hierarchical models.

Answer 7

Models of semantic memories are typically composed of nodes and links, corresponding to ideas or concepts, linked together. In hierarchical models, each link goes from superordinate and then subordinates (general to specific)

Question 8

Use your interest to illustrate a hierarchy.

Answer 8

Fictional character-> fictional character from music project-> Fragaria memories character-> bouquet protagonists -> bouquet protagonist of noir bouquet -> Arupek

Question 9

Describe the structure of hierarchical models.

Answer 9

Models of semantic memories are typically composed of nodes and links, corresponding to ideas or concepts, linked together. In hierarchical models, each link goes from superordinate and then subordinates (general to specific)

Question 10

What are some problems with hierarchies?

Answer 10

Typical instances of a category (“a robin is a bird”) are verified faster than atypical ones (“a chicken is a bird”)
Not all properties of a superordinate category apply to subordinate categories (birds fly but penguins don’t). No easy way to do exceptions
No distinction is made between types (“canaries”) and tokens/unique cases attached to each thing (“my canaries”)

Question 11

Describe the ACT model.

Answer 11

In ACT models, nodes and links are organized into propositions, which are linked together other propositions. Nodes are able to denote types and token, and some links are stronger than other objects.

Question 12

What are the strengths of the ACT model?

Answer 12

Can account for the same phenomena that hierarchical models can (spreading activation) plus more (types and token)
Makes a variety of novel predictions that have been supported empirically (as the ACT model is complex it supports the fan effect)

Question 13

What is the weaknesses of the ACT model?

Answer 13

It is unclear how its architecture can be realized in the brain.

Question 14

Describe PDP basic architecture.

Answer 14

Meant to represent neural architecture. Links can vary in excitatory of inhibitory and strength (strong vs weak). Nodes, like neurons are organized in layers and fire based on total activity received from their inputs

Question 15

Unlike ACT, _____ in PDP involving the same concepts are represented with the same nodes.
They are differentiated by their ____.

Answer 15

Unlike ACT, propositions involving the same concepts are represented with the same nodes.
They are differentiated by their patterns of connectivity

Question 16

What are the strengths of PDP?

Answer 16

More neurologically plausible than other models, as well as more dynamic

Question 17

What are the main reasons to build a model?

Answer 17

Forces one to make assumptions explicit
Generates new explanations and predictions
Provides common language and tools for analyzing cognitive phenomena

Question 18

What is the main weakness of PDP?

Answer 18

Catastrophic interference- assumes that penguins can swim leads to the model inferring that canaries can swim, which just isn’t true

Question 19

Memory for events and experiences

Answer 19

Episodic memory

Question 20

Are episodic memory typically remembered temporally?

Answer 20

Yes, they are are organized temporally, you’ll usually remember the first one that occurred before the second one

Question 21

Episodic memory usually includes source information about ___ and ___ an event occurred

Answer 21

Episodic memory usually includes source information about when and where an event occurred.

Question 22

How do you know that memories and events actually took place?

Answer 22

Episodic memories are tied to one’s own perception

Question 23

People are mostly unable to retrieve episodic memories before ages?

Answer 23

3 and 4

Question 24

What are some explanations for childhood amnesia?

Answer 24

A toddler’s hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are still developing. Lack meta-memorial skills, such as rehearsal and chunking

Question 25

Explain a study where children were shown that they could make memories.

Answer 25

10 month old children were shown how to use a toy. 3 months later children remembered the previously learned sequence toy usage more accurately than the one they just learned q

Question 26

What are the two ways of determining the end of childhood amnesia?

Answer 26

Ask adults about a common early life event and look for changes for how reliably the event is remembered Ask adults about their first memory and determine the median age associated with these memories

Question 27

When asked about a younger sibling’s birth, children of typically which age are able to remember them?

Answer 27

Children from 2 to 2.5 years old

Question 28

When people were asked about ability to recall memories themselves and compared them to memories they know they experienced but were not able to remember accurately, what were the results?

Answer 28

Experienced memory: were typically bu three years Genuinely remembered events were remembered on average of six years. Could suggest experience memory could be biased

Question 29

What is the question of Wang et al?

Answer 29

Does priming a particular cultural identity change the nature of one’s autobiographical memory?

Question 30

What is the logic of Wang et al?

Answer 30

If priming cultural identity changes autobiographical memory, then bicultural individuals will retrieve different memories depending on which identity is primed

Question 31

What are the alternatives of Wang et al?

Answer 31

Yes; individuals from different cultures have been shown to retrieve different kinds of autobiographical memories based on context. No; cultural differences in autobiographical memory are due to stable dispositions, not contextual factors

Question 32

What were the method of Wang et al?

Answer 32

Participants were 118 Asian American students Completed one of the three sentences: “As an American, I am…” (American-identity prime) “As an Asian, I am…” (Asian-identity prime) “The sky is…” (control condition) Following priming, participants wrote about two salient memories, subsequently coded as “social” or “personal.”

Question 33

What were the results of Wang et al?

Answer 33

Personal memories were best remembered during the American priming condition. Social memories were best remembered by the Asian priming condition

Question 34

What were the inferences of Wang et al?

Answer 34

Priming a cultural identity changes the nature of the memories one is able to retrieve The self is represented within a particular context, the cues for which trigger schema consistent memories The relationship between one’s autobiographical memory and one’s self concept is reciprocal