what is memory?
memory is the storage, retention and retrival of knowledge over a given period of time and it is essential for learning
What is memory?
The storage, retention, and retrieval of knowledge over a given period of time
Essential for learning
What types of memory are there?
- Sensory memory
- Short-term memory
- Working memory
- Long-term memory
- Explicit/declarative
- Implicit
What is sensory memory?
Holds large amounts of incoming data for very brief amounts of time
Characteristics: extremely fleeting, quickly decays, pre-categorical, automatic and often unconscious
What is short-term memory?
Moment-to-moment conscious thoughts and perceptions
Characteristics: limited capacity, fleeting, rapid decay without rehearsal
What is the 7 ± 2 Rule?
A principle that suggests the capacity of short-term memory is typically 5 to 9 items
Proposed by Miller in 1956
What is chunking?
The process of grouping similar or meaningful information together to enhance memory retention
Example: remembering phone numbers by separating them into segments
What is the serial position effect?
The tendency to remember items at the beginning (primacy effect) and end (recency effect) of a list better than those in the middle
What is working memory?
A limited capacity system that allows us to store and manipulate information temporarily
Includes subsystems like phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and episodic buffer
What are the functions of the central executive in working memory?
Coordinates activities in the three subsystems of working memory and communicates with long-term memory via the episodic buffer
What is long-term memory?
Consists of all experiences and knowledge gathered across a lifetime
Considered a repository of information including language, social rules, and beliefs
What are the two types of explicit memory?
- Semantic memory
- Episodic memory
What is procedural memory?
Stored knowledge that allows us to behave skillfully, typically unable to verbalize a complete account of the procedure
What are the two basic types of amnesia?
- Retrograde Amnesia
- Anterograde Amnesia
What happened to Patient H.M.?
Underwent a procedure to remove his hippocampus, leading to severe deficits in declarative/explicit memory, especially episodic memory
Retained intact working memory and better implicit than explicit memory
What is the ‘feeling of knowing’ phenomenon?
The sense of knowing something but being unable to recall it
Often associated with the ‘tip of the tongue’ phenomenon
True or False: False memories can be implanted in laboratory settings.
True
What is metamemory?
Awareness of our memory system and what resides there
Communicates the ‘feeling of knowing’
What are the implications of eyewitness accounts in legal settings?
Eyewitness accounts can be inaccurate and heavily weighted in juror decisions
Example: The Innocence Project has overturned many wrongful convictions based on eyewitness testimony
