Memory as a discrimination problem

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Memory as a discrimination problem
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Outline

• Reminders revision
• Levels of processing
• Transfer appropriate processing
• Encoding specificity principle
• Functionalist perspective
• Nairnes point of view

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Levels of processing

• Levels of processing
• Deeper, semantic processing better memory
• Typical experimental manipulation
• Depth of processing

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Transfer Appropriate Processing

• Classic Morris, Bransford, Franks (1977)
• Sentence completion
• The ____ had a loud but friendly bark.
• The word ____ rhymes with poodle.
• Answers provided, yes-no decision requested

• Surprise test
• Standard recognition test Did you see the word
  Dog?
• Rhyme recognition test Was there a word that
  rhymed with doodle?

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TAP Classic results

• Deeper processing does not invariably lead to
  better memory.
• The processing must be appropriate for the
  retrieval test must be transferable to the
  test situation
• Note Better overall performance with standard,
  semantic, encoding Fisher Craik (1977)
  suggest the specificity of semantic cues is
  greater. Phonemic cue are possibly more prone to
  cue overload

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Encoding Specificity

• Recall depends on the interaction between the
  properties of the encoded event and the
  properties of the retrieval information.
• One cannot make absolute statements about the
  memorability of types of processing (deep
  processing), types of items (high frequency), or
  cues (study weak cue test is better with weak
  cue than strong cue)
• This line of reasoning has led to the idea that
  the important factor is the match between the
  encoding and the test What is important is the
  degree of overlap between the features of the
  two. But

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Functionalist view of memory

• Memory need not entail recall -
• Example (Nairne, In press) Trait judgements /
  likeability
• Familiarity
• Scripts (going to your favourite fast food, or
  other)
• Memory might even be considered as not involving
  storage at all - it could, for example, change
  tendencies or the way we interact with the
  environment -- e.g. spider encounters

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Functionalist view of memory

• In some cases remembering specific instances is
  important, for example passwords, phone numbers,
  names, etc.
• However, remembering in this way has to be
  context-dependent to be useful. Imagine
  remembering every possible password or passcode
  you ever had while standing in front of a banking
  machine
• Memory viewed in this way is a problem of
  selecting the appropriate response

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Encoding-retrieval match?

• Is it the degree of overlap that determines the
  probability of retrieval?
• Suggestion It is how uniquely the cue is
  associated to the to-be-remembered material
• Consider
• rite, right, write,