ch. 6 Flashcards
(21 cards)
what is long term memory?
it stores information for long periods of time - minutes to a lifetime, information is stored permanently, there is an unlimited capacity
compare short term memory vs long term memory
being told that your friend went to the movies with a guy
stm: she went to the movies with a guy
ltm: she met this guy 3 weeks ago, i remember seeing that movie, my friend really likes this movie series
what is the primacy effect?
more likely to remember words at the beginning of a list, these words are rehearsed more and are more likely to be remembered (lower on the x and y axis)
whats the recency effect?
better memory for stimulus presented at the end of a list, this is due to storage of recently presented items still in STM (higher on the x and y axis)
how is LTM measured?
recall and recognition tasks.
recall tasks: ability to retrieve information from the past (ex. fill in the blank)
recognition task: ability to distinguish whether something has been encountered before (ex. multiple choice)
who is patient h.m.?
he had surgery to remove his medial temporal lobes (including hippocampus and amygdala)
although STM remained intact, he was unable to transfer information into LTM
new semantic memories were impaired
who is patient k.f.?
there was damage to the parietal lobe
resulted in poor STM: roughly held 2 items
ltm was intact and new memories could be formed and held
what is memory spilt up into?
explicit memory and implicit memory
what is explicit memory?
it is divided into semantic and episodic (conscious)
episodic: the memory for events. mental time travel: experience of travelling back in time, self knowing or remembering
semantic: accessing knowledge about the world. facts, vocab, concepts, schemas, scripts. knowing no mental time travel
who is patient KC?
damaged hippocampus. no episodic memory, cannot relive past events, but semantic memory is intact so general information from the past can be remembered.
who is patient LP?
encephalitis. impaired semantic memory, cant understand a grocery list. but episodic memory is intact, so past memories can be relieved and can create new memories.
what is autobiographical memory?
peoples memories for experiences from their own lives. having both episodic components and semantic components intertwine to create memories with time travel and facts (ex. first kiss, graduating from high school)
how does time affect memories?
forgetting increases with longer intervals after encoding
familiarity: when something or someone seems familiar, but you can’t remember any details about the specific experience (semantic)
recollection: remembering specific experiences related to the person.
what is the remember/know procedure?
- remember if the stimulus is familiar and they also remember the circumstances under which they originally encountered it –> episodic components of memory (recollection)
- know if the stimulus seems familiar but they dont remember experiencing it earlier –> semantic components of memory (familiarity)
- dont know if they remember the stimulus at all –> (nothing)
what is constructive episodic stimulation hypothesis?
episodic memories are extracted and recombined to construct simulations of future events. this helps us to anticipate future needs and guide future behaviours.
what is the vantage point?
events remembered or imagined from either a first or third person perspective, most likely to be seen from a third person perspective.
what us prospective memory?
our ability to set up out mind to remember something in the future (ex. i will call you tomorrow). could be considered explicit memory because it’s also conscious.
what is the interference theory?
proactive interference: when previously learned information interferes with learning and remembering new information
retroactive interference: when learning interferes with remembering old information
what is procedural (skill) memory?
memory for how to carry out highly practiced skills. (perform skills without being consciously aware of how to do them, no memory of where or when learned, patients who cant form new ltm can still learn new skills)
describe the different memory components of learning how to ride a bike
procedural: how (no source)
episodic: specific episode/event (specific source)
semantic: understanding/facts (
no source)
what us expert-induced-amnesia?
well-learned procedural memories do not require attention (happens automatically)
the result of this automatic action is that when asked about what they did in carrying out a skilled action, the expert often has no idea
