UNIT 3: MEMORY

UNIT 3: MEMORYDECK – PSYCH

PATIENT HM

AN INTRODUCTION…

What is memory?

If someone asked you to define what memory is, what would you say?

According to thefreedictionary.com, memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience

Types of Memory

Are there different types or kinds of memory?

If so, brainstorm some:

a)

b)

c)

d)

Is memory important?

How important is the ability to remember?

Why? Explain your thoughts: a) b) c) d)

AGREE/DISAGREE?

Without our memory we would not survive.

Explain your choice(s) a) b) c) d)

AGREE/DISAGREE?

Without memories we would not know who we are. Explain your choice(s): a) b) c) d)

MEMORY – VID 1

Memory

WHAT IS MEMORY?

GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR THIS UNIT

1. What is memory?

2. What are the different types of memories?

3. How do we memorize items?

4. Why do we forget?

5. How can memories be recalled?

6. Can false memories be created?

KEY TERMSChunkingWorking MemoryLong Term MemoryTip of the Tongue PhenomenonMaintenance RehearsalElaborative RehearsalProactive InterferenceRetroactive InterferenceSemantic LTMEpisodic LTMEncoding Specificity HypothesisElizabeth LoftusSensory MemoryShort Term MemoryGeorge Miller7 +/- 2 Theory

MemoryH.M.Serial LearningPaired-Associate LearningFree RecallAtkinson-Shiffrin Model of MemoryEncodingStorage RetrievalDonald BroadbentFilter TheoryE.C. CherryCocktail Party Phenomenon

MEMORY DEFINED

• The concept of memory is difficult to define.• Memory is one of those abilities that we take for

granted.

• Certainly memory is related to learning.

• Memory: Is the system or process by which the products or results of learning are stored for future use.

HOW WE MEMORIZE LEARNED MATERIAL

SERIAL LEARNING: - Material that has been learned must berepeated in the order which it was presented.

Examples: - Phone numbers- Simple procedure like how to make coffee - Math equations

PAIRED-ASSOCIATE LEARNING:- Items to be recalled are learned in pairs. During recall,one member of the pair is presented and the other is tobe recalled.

Example: Learning a foreign language, basic definitionstudy, etc.

FREE RECALL: - When material that has been learned may be repeated in any

order. Here the task is to remember as many items as possible, regardless of their order

Example: Essay Answers.

READ HANDOUT: INITIAL STUDIES IN MEMORY

1 Who was Herman Ebbinghaus?2 What are nonsense syllables and why are

they important?3 Explain the curve of forgetting.4 What is a recognition test (provide an

example).5 What is a relearning test? What does it

show?

Ten Second Tom

Clive WearingThoughts about H.M..." 'Every day is alone in itself'...H.M. remembered nothing form minute to minute but knew that he remembered nothing."

Ethics - why keep it a secret till his death?Was he good for science?

Is life worth living without memory?

HM (Henry Molaison)

Suffered from severe seizures; removed seizure causing portion of his brain

Lost the ability to form new long-term memories

Could remember things up to his surgery but nothing after (never knew what day of the week it was)

Forgot things within a minute; short-term memory worked

Remembered nothing from minute to minute but knew he remembered nothing

Able to learn new motor tasks – able to hold down a job

Types Of Memory

A REVIEW

Memory is the system or process by which the products or results of learning are stored for future use (recall)

What is something that you have recently “filed” in your brain for later use?

Hint – think something you wanted to use as a “weapon” or “against someone”

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory

Proposed that there are three types of memory:

Sensory

Short-Term

Long-Term

SENSORY MEMORY First stage of memory

Retention only lasts for a few seconds

Largely based on what we see or hear

Memory is fragile at this stage and likely disappears if not processed further

“in one ear and out the other”

What happens if you do not repeat a number or write it down you got from 311/411?

SHORT-TERM MEMORY

An Example in Action

Short-Term Memory

The Facts Short-term memory is the middle stage

of memory

This stage is usually measured in seconds or minutes

Memory is still fragile but has been processed more than in the sensory stage

If processed further it will be transferred to long-term memory

The Reasons

Unless memories are practiced or rehearsed, they become weaker and fade away

To make room for new incoming information, some of the memories in short-term memory are pushed out or displaced (less valuable ones usually)

The Reflection How do cultural groups try and keep memories alive?

A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

REFLECTION cont’d…

How do you try and keep memories alive?

A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

The Future???

How can it be argued that computers are negatively influencing our short-term memories?

How can it be argued that computers are positively influencing our short-term memories?

The Practice

Memorize the following phone numbers:

(316) 343-5800(401) 246-4531(912) 692-3423

STM continued…

Memorize as many words as you can:

Telephone Ford Pin

Poplar Fax machine

Chevrolet

Oak Telegraph Walnut

Buick Mazda Television

Cedar Mail Audiocassette

Porsche Maple elm

Memory Experiment

Write down as many as you can remember:

A Strategy

Miller’s theory states we can only hold so many items in short-term memory

As a result, grouping or chunking items together is one solution to increase memory

A Second Chance

Try again. This time I will give you the categories: Types of vehicles Parts of a computer Food Clothing Coins

STM continued…

Memorize as many words as you can:Limo quarter Apple Skirt

Disk keyboard Dime Car

Shirt potato Banana Penny

Printer bike Carrot Van

Monitor mouse Pants Boat

Nickel shoes Tie cherry

How did you do?

What was different?

What did you do differently?

How could you apply this to your daily school/life routines?

Music and Memory:

Advertisers have found a strategy that emphasizes free recall. . . Use music.

How many commercials have you seen or heard that did not include music or a jingle?

Advertisers assume that we are more likely to remember brands and products if they are associated with catchy phrases or jingles.

Surprisingly little research has been conducted to verify this assumption

Results of research that has been done are mixed:

Some studies have yielded a positive correlation between memory and music, some have found no relationship, and still others have found that music can actually interfere with recall.

Most psychologist conclude that items associated with musical jingles or catchy phrases are easier to retrieve from memory, but that pairing an item with music it does not necessarily enhance recognition of those items

Let’s Test Your Memory for Advertisements:

•Be all that you can be•Army•M'm, M'm good•Campbell’s Soup•Waaay delicious•Wendy’s•Winston tastes good like a cigarette should•Winston’s Cigarettes•A little dab'll do ya•Brule Cream•Diamonds are forever•Debeers•Just do it•Nike

•Tastes great, less filling•Miller Lite•Good to the last drop•Maxwell House•Don’t leave home without it•American Express•Wassup?!•Budweiser•Have it your way.•Burger King•Got milk?•I’m Love’n it•McDonalds

Eat FreshSubwayHave a BreakKit KatBetcha can’t have just oneLay’s ChipsMakes a nice light snackCoffee CrispPure NatureDisaniBe KoolKool AidLook, Ma, no cavities!CrestZoom ZoomMazdaIngredients for life.SafewayExcelerate your BreathExcelYou’ll Find UsBest Sleep Center

Think outside the BunTaco BellThe Best a Man can getGilletteDo the DewMountain DewYou can do it we can helpHome DepotWhat’s in your WalletCapital oneIs it in you?Gatorade

What is memory like?

Well, memories are...• Incomplete• Bias • Distorted• We remember personal stuff and

filter a lot of information

OR

Does Attention determine what is remembered?

Visual Attention is Selective

We can focus our attention on primitive things such as:• Shape• Colour• Movement• Orientation

Shall we see...

Count the Red As

A AA

A A

A

A

A

AA

A

A

A

Count theA

AAA

A A

A

A

A

AA

A

A

A

Parallel Processing

Allows us to process information from different visual features at the same time by looking for targets.

Application...

Something a little harder. Count the Red Squares

Conjunction Task

Stimulus you are looking for requires more attention, because it is made up of two features.

Application...

The Filter Theory

Broadbent (1958) developed the filter Theory:We can filter incoming information and decide what to let in.

Thoughts:

Can we really close the gate and not allow information in?

Then when and how is it closed?

Think of an example of stimulus that would demand immediate attention? Something that would cause us to virtually shut off the ability to attend to anything else.

This?

Can we ignore one sound and concentrate on another?

• Turns out we may think we are ignoring it and can’t remember it, but our mind is still processing it.

• MacKay (1973) ....

Here is the experiment

“They threw stones at a bank yesterday.”

“River”

Attended Ear

Unattended Ear

“They threw stones at a bank yesterday.”

“Bank”

Attended Ear

Unattended Ear

ONE GROUP SECOND GROUP

After the listening...

• Both groups could not report to what they heard in the unattended ear.

• River Group • Bank Group

• Interpreted the sentence to mean they were throwing at a river bank

• Interpreted the sentence to mean they were throwing at a Financial institute

So that is small changes, what about big changes.

• Do you think you would notice if the person (a stranger) you were having a conversation with changed?

• Changed Blindness ( Simmons & Levin 1998)

Changed BlindnessA participant is approached by a stranger asking for directions.

The stranger is momentarily blocked by a large object.

While being blocked the original stranger is replaced by another person Would you notice?

Changed Blindness

Turns out half of you would (50%)

As long as the switch of strangers was of the same gender and race.

10 Techniques for Improving Memory:

Influential Factors:

1.Number of study sessions:

- Generally the greater the number of sessions the better the learning and memory

2. Distribution of Study Sessions:

- Sessions should be spread out. Spaced practice is more effective than massed practice

3. Meaningfulness of Material:

- If you attach meaning you will learn better and remember longer

4. Similarity of items:

- a group of items of the same general type will be learned better than a group of dissimilar items

5. Serial Positioning:

- Items at the beginning and end of a study session or list will be learned better than items in the middle of the study session or list

6. Mnemonic Devices:

- When you are not able to attach authentic meaning to information, creating associations to help you remember the material will increase memory

7. Imagery:

- Creating mental images or pictures in your mind enhances recognition and recall of information

8. Grouping or Chunking:

- grouping similar items together into categories helps to remember them better

9. Coding:

- Creating special codes to help learn material that lack relevance

10. Exercise regularly – Both mind and body