Chapter 7: Memory

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Chapter 7 Memory

• Music
• Make a Memory
• Bon Jovi
• Ill Keep Your Memory Vague
• Finger Eleven

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Memory Agenda

• 1. Remediation Plan
• (i) Changes to the course
• (ii) Additional help
• 2. The Memory System
• (i) Sensory Memory
• From sensory to short-term memory
• (ii) Short Term Memory
• From short-term to long-term memory
• (iii) Long Term Memory
• Forgetting
• 3. Eye-Witness Testimonies
• 4. Application Improving your memory
• 5. Movie The Brain and Memory (7 min.)

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Remediation following the strike(i) Changes to
the course

• Schedule
• February 3 Memory Ch. 7
• February 10 Thinking Intelligence Ch. 8
  and 9
• (except pgs. 311-325, 329-334, 344-345, 349-355,
  375-387)
• February 17 Test 2 Chapters 5-9
• (except pgs. 311-325, 329-334, 344-345, 349-355,
  375-387)
• Final exam period for Fall courses
• Feb. 20-March 3 No exam in this course.
• Winter term resumes March 4
• March 10 Motivation and Emotion Ch. 10, etc.
• April 14 Midterm 3
• May 22-June 2 Final exam period
• Evaluation
• Midterm 2 will be worth 10 or 20, whichever
  works out best for you (final worth 31 or 41)
• The final exam is non-cumulative
• URPP You get 4 for 3 hours of research
  participation
• See course outline from the course website
  www.psych.yorku.ca/mongrain/teaching

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Remediation following the strike(ii) Additional
help

• Counselling and Development Centre for Emotional
  Help
• See course website for links www.psych.yorku.ca/mo
  ngrain/teaching
• Psychology drop-in centre 163 BSB
• Questions addressed by faculty for Psych. Majors
• Today and Wednesday until 7 p.m.
• Thursday and Friday 1-4 p.m.
• Tutorials for this course
• Review of academic material
• Tuesdays 230-330 South Ross 122
• Wednesdays 1030-1130 Vari Hall 3006
• TAs are there to help you and clarify any
  questions!

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2. The Memory System

• Fig. 7.7 p. 274

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2. Three Key processes in Memory p. 268
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2. (i) Sensory Memory

• Stores a perfect picture of the world, but for a
  fraction of a second
• See Sperlings studies p. 274
• Iconic (visual) and echoic (auditory) sensory
  memories

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2. (i) Sperlings Studies p. 274
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From Sensory to Short-Term Memory

• How does information get encoded and transferred
  onto the memory system?
• a) Automatic processing
• No effort required
• See implicit memories p. 296
• b) Effortful processing
• Pay conscious effort and attention to hold info.
  In short-term memory
• See explicit memories p. 296

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2. (ii) Short-Term Memory

• Semi-permanent storage
• Magic number 7 ( - 2)
• Information is lost after 20-30 seconds unless it
  is rehearsed
• Maintenance rehearsal keeps the information
  there
• Elaborative rehearsal brings the information to
  long term memory
• Type of encoding p. 264-265

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Type of Encoding

• 2. (ii) Type of encoding, p. 270

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2. (ii) From Short-Term to Long-Term Memory

• What helps us remember??
• a) Type of encoding
• b) Self-referent encoding (self-schema)
• c) Imagery
• d) Mnemonics
• method of loci
• Acronyms e.g. Roy G. Biv

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To long term memory (contd)

• e) Chunking e.g.
• 1-4-9-2-1-7-7-6-1-8-1-2
• (1492) (1776) (1812)
• f) Organize information hierarchically
• g) Spacing effects
• distributed practice leads to better long-term
  retention
• h) Time overlearning!
• i) Mood-dependent effects

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2. (iii) Long Term Memory

• Where information is stored in relatively
  permanent form
• Capacity is seemingly infinite!
• 2 memory systems p. 297
• Declarative
• Semantic (explicit memories/encyclopedia)
• Episodic (implicit memories/autobiography)
• Non-declarative, procedural
• how to implicit memories based on practice or
  habit

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• p. 297

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2. (iii) Forgetting

• Major reasons
• a) failure to encode
• b) stored memories decay
• c) retrieval failure
• d) interference
• Proactive and retroactive (p. 289)
• e) motivated forgetting
• Freuds concept of repression
• Repressed memory controversy
• p. 290-293

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2. (iii) Forgetting

• The story of HM
• Most famous and studied amnesiac
• p. 295

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2. (iii) Forgetting Interference

• p. 289

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3. Eyewitness Testimony

• A case of constructive memory
• (discussed by professor in class)
• Conclusion
• Memories for non-existent objects can be
  implanted
• Memory is surprisingly unreliable

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4. Improving your Memory

• a) Pay Attention!
• And overlearn
• b) Distributed practice
• Take your time, and take time
• c) Engage in deep processing
• Make information personally meaningful
• Provide examples for yourself
• Link to previously acquired knowledge
• Efficient storage is key!!
• d) Organize information hierarchically
• e) Learn through several modalities
• E.g. use visual imagery
• (2 codes is better than 1)
• f) Use mnemonics (where useful)
• g) Minimize interference

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5. Movie!

• The Brain and Memory
• Declarative memory involves the hippocampus and
  other structures in the medial temporal area of
  the brain. If that temporal area is destroyed due
  to injury or disease, people often develop
  amnesia. In this video you will learn how habit
  memory (procedural memory), a second robust but
  unconscious memory system plays a role in helping
  people with amnesia. (7 min.)