How Do We Learn and Remember?

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How Do We Learn and Remember?

• Some Basic Principles
• from Psychology and
• Cognitive Neuroscience

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Memory Processes
kairos chronos?
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Memory Processes

• Encoding
• the processing of information into the memory
  system
• Storage
• the retention of encoded information over time
• Retrieval
• the process of getting information out of memory

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Memory Stages

• Sensory Memory
• the immediate, initial recording of sensory
  information in the memory system
• Short Term Memory / Working Memory
• activated memory that holds a few items briefly
  for processing reverberating net
• capacity about 7 items duration 30 sec.
• Long Term Memory
• the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse
  of the memory system
• chemical change in neural synapses (LTP)

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Simplified Memory Model
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Decay of Short-Term Memory
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Memory and the Brain
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Long-Term Memory Systems
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LTM and the Hippocampus
MRI scan with hippocampus in red
cerebellum
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Encoding Failure

• SELECTIVE ATTENTION
• distractions
• pull attention toward irrelevant info
• information overload
• overwhelms capacity of STM

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Encoding Failure
SELECTIVE ATTENTION
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Encoding Tips

• ORGANIZE
• chunking -- organizing information into familiar,
  manageable units
• hierarchies -- arrange info logically in
  categories and subcategories
• acronyms
• Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior

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Encoding Tips

• Example 1776149218121941

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Encoding Tips
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Retrieval Failure

• INTERFERENCE
• proactive interference -- prior learning
  disrupts memory for new info
• forward-acting
• study Greek study Hebrew test Hebrew
• retroactive interference -- learning new info
  disrupts old memories
• backward-acting
• study Greek study Hebrew test Greek

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Serial Position Effect
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Memory Quiz

• Listen carefully to these 12 items
• Dont write them down as you hear them!
• When the list is finished, try to recall as many
  as you can, in any order, and then write them down

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Memory Quiz

• rest
• tired
• awake
• dream
• snore
• bed

• eat
• slumber
• sound
• comfort
• wake
• night

Context errors can generate false memories!
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