Chapter 8: retrieval Flashcards
Roger Brown and David McNiel (1966) tip of tongue
tried to figure out whether the feeling of being “on the tip of your tongue” is based on genuine evidence or simply an illusion. In the study participants were described a word and then asked what the description described, were asked if they were on the tip of the tongue then asked them to provide the number of syllables or the first letter. Much better at providing this information than by chance. If they were given the initial letter, it prompted the correct word afterwards.
jennifer mangels recall on damaged prefrontal cortex
Damage to prefrontal cortex hinders recall even very well learned information (jennifer mangels) Presented faces of famous people and tested the recall of their names (free recall), when troubled were given the first letter, a description (cued recall), and then seen if they could pick the name out of others (recognition test). Problems in free and cued
target memory/trace
the memory being sought out, particular fact, idea, or experience
retrieval cues
the process of recovering a target memory based on one or more cues, subsequently bringing that target into awareness
associations/links
structural linkages between traces that vary in strength, traces in memory are linked up to one another by these connections
content addressable memory
any aspect of the content of the memory can serve as a reminder that could access the experience
activation level
the variable internal state of a memory trace that contributes to its accessibility at a given point
spreading activation theory
each memory has an internal state of its own, reflection how “excited” or active it is. The higher level of activation reflects greater accessibility
Memories automatically spread activation to other memories to which they are associated
pattern completion
he process by which spreading activation from a set of cues leads to the reinstatement of a memory’s features
cue specification
the careful specification of what we are trying to remember, which may also include a retrieval strategy
cue maintenance
concentrating on it
interference resolution processes
help to overcome interference from competing memories brought to mind instead of the target
post retrieval monitoring
decision processes that evaluate whether what we have retrieved is what we are seeking
reinstatement hypothesis
Retrieval involves cortical reinstatement of the pattern of neural activity that was present at the time that an experience we first encoded into memory
factors that determine retrieval success
attention to cues relevance of cues cue target strength number of cues target strength retrieval strategy retrieval mode
attention to cues
Dividing attention can diminish retrieval, but worse effects with encoding
relevance of cues
Ex: looking for where you parked YOUR car, since you drove your NEIGHBOR’s car, the cues are worthless for your car
encoding specificity principle
the more similar the cues available at retrieval are to the conditions present at encoding, the more effective the cues will be
cue target strength
retrieval can fail if cues are relevant but weak
number of cues
Retrieval improves when more relevant cues are added
Rubin and Wallace
if asked to rhyme a word with post may say host or most, if asked a mythical creature say zombie, unicorn, but if asked a mythical creature that rhymes with post you’d say ghost. With each clue alone it is a small chance of getting the desired answer but with both cues it is way higher
target strength
Strength of memory in part depends on how much people engage hippocampus when memory is encoded
retrieval strategy
Serial order or retrace my steps
Change depending on viewpoint of recall ex: homebuyer vs burglar
retrieval mode
the cognitive set, or frame of mind, that orients a person towards the act of retrieval, ensuring that stimuli are interpreted as retrieval
retrieval benefits from getting into the right mental configuration
