What is serial learning (Ebbinhaus)?
- Learning a list of items in order until they can be recalled perfectly
- Originally used nonsense syllables
What is the relearning task (Ebbinghaus)?
- A list is originally learned, set aside for a period of time, and then later relearned to the same criterion of accuracy
- SAVINGS SCORE = reduction in number of trials (or time) necessary for relearning
What is the forgetting curve?
- A rapid initial decline in memory retention that levels off over time.
- Monotonic, negatively accelerated (always decreasing, rate slows with time)
What are the three stages of memory?
- Encoding (type into computer)
- Storage (save the file)
- Retrieval (open the saved file)
What are mnemonic devices?
- Active strategies that enhance memory through organization, imagery, or association
- Demonstrates metamemory
What are examples of mnemonic methods?
- Method of loci = memorize location & topics in that location, then walk through it
- Pegword system = prememorized set of words as mental hooks
- Story method = form a story of what is to be remembered
What improves the effectiveness of mnemonic techniques?
Practicing, integrating with prior knowledge, and using retrieval cues.
What is depth of processing?
- Memory depends on HOW DEEPLY information is processed, not how long it sits there
- Processing goes through ordered stages
- Deeper processing = better memory
What did Craik & Tulving’s incidental learning study show?
- Participants didn’t know they were being tested
- Saw a word then answered yes/no based on physical characteristics, rhymes, or meaning.
- Memory drastically improves with deeper processing (meaning>rhyme>physical)
What is the difference between maintenance and elaborative rehearsal?
- Maintenance rehearsal repeats information
- Elaborative rehearsal connects it to meaning
- Better recall with elaborative
What is the generation effect?
Information you generate yourself is remembered better than information you just read.
What is the self-reference effect?
Information related to oneself is encoded and recalled more effectively.
What is the enactment effect?
Physically performing an action improves memory for it.
What is survival processing?
Information relevant to survival is remembered better than neutral information.
What is the animacy effect?
Living things are recalled better than nonliving things, reflecting evolutionary priorities.
What is the clustering effect in recall?
People naturally group related items together during recall, even if presented randomly.
What is subjective organization?
People impose their own structure or patterns when remembering unrelated information.
Memory improves as a function of….
Repetition
What is the learning curve (literally)?
- Monotonic, negatively accelerated
- You learn a lot early on; each additional repetition gives smaller gains.
What is the spacing effect?
Spaced repetitions improve long-term retention compared to massed (crammed) repetitions.
What is the rehearsal borrowing hypothesis?
More likely to recall word if repetitions are more spaced out
What is the study phase retrieval hypothesis?
When you see an item again, you retrieve the earlier occurrence, which strengthens memory
What is the encoding variability hypothesis?
Spacing gives you multiple unique cues rather than repeating the same cue
What does the encoding specificity principle state?
Recall is best when retrieval cues match the context of original learning.
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Section 1: Cognitive Issues in Perception24
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Section 2: Attention23
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Section 3: Short-term Working Memory22
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Section 4: Learning & Remembering27
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Section 5: Knowing (Semantic Memory & Concepts)27
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Section 6: Using Knowledge25
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Section 7: Implicit Cognition19
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Section 8: Language25
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Section 9: Comprehension18
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Section 10: Decision Making & Problem Solving28
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Readings (kill me)22
