Psychology 100 Exam 2 Ch 8

learning that has persisted over time, info that can be stored and retrieved

-retrieving info not currently in your conscious awareness but that was learned at an earlier time -fill-in-the-blank type questions test this

-identifying items previously learned -multiple choice questions test this

-learning something more quickly when you learn it a second or later time -studying is a way of doing this

-refers to the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information before it is processed into short-term, working or long-term memory -stimuli are recorded by our senses and held briefly

-some of the info from sensory memory is processed into this type of memory and encoded through rehearsal -this type of memory holds a few items briefly before it is stored or forgotten

-however, more goes on in short-term memory than rehearsal -this type of memory focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial info and of info retrieved from long-term memory

-finally, info moves into this type of memory for later retrieval -this type of memory is relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system -includes knowledge, skills, experiences

the facts and experiences that we can consciously know and declare

-encoding that requires attention and conscious effort -processes explicit memories

-retention independent of conscious recollection -the memories we are not fully aware of and thus don't "declare"/talk about -(ex) riding a bike, classically conditioned associations among stimuli and other automatic skills

-unconscious coding of incidental information such as space, time and frequency, and of well-learned information -information that skips our conscious encoding and barges directly into storage -happens without our awareness and without rehearsal/other processes in working memory. and produces implicit memories -sometimes info goes straight from sensory experience to long-term memory

-our minds operate on two tracks -automatic is unconscious and produces implicit memories -effortful is conscious and produces explicit memories

-retrieval and use of this type of memory is directed by the FRONTAL LOBES -encoding and storage of this type of memory is facilitated by the HIPPOCAMPUS. events and facts are held there for a couple of days before CONSOLIDATING which is moving to other parts of the brain for long-term storage

-the CEREBELLUM forms and stores our conditioned responses in this type of memory -BASAL GANGLIA ,which is next to the thalamus, controls movement and forms and stores procedural memory and motor skills

- a way to encode information into memory to keep it from decaying and make it easier to retrieve -this is also known as studying -(ex) chunking, mnemonics, hierarchies, distributed practice

-an effortful processing strategy that organizes items into familiar, manageable units -works even better if we can assemble info into meaningful groups -enables us to recall these items more easily

-an effortful processing strategy with a memory "trick" that connects info to existing memory strengths such as imagery or structure --often use vivid imagery because we are particularly good at remembering mental pictures -(ex) the peg-word system refers to the technique of visually associating two words with an existing list that is already memorized along with numbers

-an effortful processing strategy that consists of a few broad concepts divided and subdivided into narrower concepts and facts -helps us retrieve info efficiently -(ex) when words are organized into categories, recall was two to three times better

--an effortful processing strategy that produces better long-term recall -massed practice refers to cramming info all at once--not effective -SPACING EFFECT will develop better retention and recall (in the long run), if you use the same amount of study time spread out over many shorter sessions -TESTING EFFECT--if your distributed practice includes testing (having to answer questions about the material), you will learn more and retain more than if you merely reread -we retain info better when our encoding is spread out over time

-when encoding information, we are more likely to retain it if we deeply process even a simple word list by focusing on the semantics, or meaning, of the words -opposite of shallow processing, an unsuccessful form of processing that refers to memorizing the appearance/sound of words

-figuring out what a set of instructions mean make it easier to memorize -SELF-REFERENCE EFFECT-relating material to ourselves aids encoding and retention

-not bothering to rehearse information and store it into our long-term memory -(ex) got the penny image wrong, not because we failed to retrieve the info but because we never encoded it in the first place even if we once looked at the penny and paid attention to it

-material encoded into long-term memory will decay if the memory is never used, recalled or restored -unused connections and networks wither while well-used memory traces are maintained

-sometimes, the memories themselves do not decay, instead, what decays are the associations links that help us find our way to the stored memory -as a result, sometimes "tip of my tongue" occurs where some stored memories seem just below the surface: (ex) "i know the name...it starts with a B i think"

-occurs when prior (old) learning disrupts your recall of new information -downside of not forgetting old memories -(ex) if you buy a new combination lock, your memory of the old combination may interfere -(ex) you had to change email passwords but keep typing the old one and can't seem to memorize the new one

-occurs when new learning disrupts recall of old information -(ex) if someone sings new lyrics to the tune of an old song, you may have trouble remembering the original words - (ex) studying in the hour before sleep is protected from this because the opportunity for interfering events is minimized

-memories are our way of inferring our past from stored information PLUS what we later imagined, expected, saw and heard

-memory not only gets forgotten, but also this where it is imagined, selected, changed and rebuilt

-memories are altered every time we "recall" (reconstruct) them -they are altered again when we use working memory to send them into term storage, AKA this term

-incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

-by trying to help someone recall a memory, you may implant a memory

-simply picturing an event can make it seem like a real memory -once we have an inaccurate memory, we tend to add more imagined details as we do for all memories

-forgetting where the story came from and attributing the source to your own experience

-"already seen" -refers to the feeling that your are in a situation that you have seen or been in before