Long-term memory: Episodic

Question 1

What are the types of declarative (explicit) memory?

Answer 1

Episodic
Semantic

Question 2

What are the types of non declarative (implicit) memory?

Answer 2

Procedural memory

Question 3

Define the term episodic memory.

Answer 3

Memory of events, specific attributes or episode (e.g., the weather was nice at Kingston yesterday).

Question 4

Define the term semantic memory.

Answer 4

General knowledge, memory for FACTS (e.g., London is the capital of the UK).

Question 5

Define the term procedural memory.

Answer 5

Memory of how to do something (e.g., how to shoot a basketball).

Question 6

Explain the history of episodic memory.

Answer 6

Endel Tulving first defined the notion of episodic memory, and his conceptualization of episodic memory is still widely accepted even now.

Question 7

What is an episode?

Answer 7

consists of the integration or binding of multiple types of information.
* For example: do you remember your first lecture at KU?

Question 8

What does an episodic memory trace include?

Answer 8

Spatial information (classroom), temporal information (when was it), visual information (visual of the lecturer and your classmates), auditory information (sounds you have heard, voice of the lecturer), emotional information (excitement/disappointment for your first lecture). All the information is integrated into a single memory representation to form an episode and stored in long- term memory. The stored episode will then become an episodic memory representation.

Question 9

How do we measure episodic memory in the lab?

Answer 9

• In an episodic memory experiment, you will learn a sequence of items in a learning (encoding) phase. Each item is a memory trace (=EPISODE), which consists of the item, spatial information (spatial relations between items), temporal information (sequence of items), and/or visual information (image of paired items).
• Then, you will be asked to retrieve those items in a subsequent retrieval phase. You may be asked to recall those items from memory, or you may be presented with those items again along with new ones and be asked to differentiate between old and new items. This is called a recognition memory test

Question 10

What are the two processes of episodic memory?

Answer 10

Encoding
Retrieval

Question 11

What is encoding?

Answer 11

When you first learn and develop a memory trace for events and information.

Question 12

What is retrieval?

Answer 12

When you access that information and bring it back “online”.

• Access the information stored during encoding.

Question 13

What is an approach to understanding episodic memory
encoding?

Answer 13

Levels of processing (LOP) Framework (Craik & Lockhart, 1972)

• The “deeper” we process the information during encoding, the higher the chances of later successful retrieval. “Deep” processing involves meaning-based, elaborative processing.
• LOP effects can be observed in everyday life situations. If you learn new information in a “deep” way by integrating it with previous knowledge and/or associating it with similar memories, you will likely remember that information.
• For example, if you learn about the biological mechanisms of emotions by trying to understand the content of different papers and integrate information from different sources, it is very likely that you will have solid and long-lasting memories about it (deep encoding). Instead, if you learn something without fully understanding it, the information will disappear quickly (shallow encoding).

Question 14

Why can’t encoding and retrieval be seperated?

Answer 14

Scientists must assess how accurately
information is retrieved to find out whether that information has been encoded effectively (just like the memory tests we have just done).

Question 15

What are the two types of retrieval?

Answer 15

Explicit
Implicit

Question 16

What is explicit retrieval?

Answer 16

Intentionally retrieve memories.
Examples: all the memory tasks that you have tried so far are explicit memory tasks- I directly asked you to remember and recall some information.

Question 17

What is implicit retrieval?

Answer 17

You retrieve memories indirectly and unintentionally.

Question 18

What are the influential factors of memory retrieval?

Answer 18

Existing knowledge/familiarization- whether the items to be remembered (encoded) are associated with existing memories and knowledge.

Context of memory- overlap between the context to be encoded and
the context to be retrieved (Tulving & Thomson, 1973)

Environment- overlap between encoding and retrieval environment.

Internal state (e.g., stress, physiological state, emotion) - If you form a memory under a stressful or emotional state, it is more likely
that you recall the same memory under the same stressful and emotional
state.

Transfer appropriate processing (Morris, 1977) - Memory performance is better when the cognitive processes engaged during
retrieval match the processes that were engaged during encoding.

Question 19

Using an experiment, give an example of the environment being an influential factor in memory retrieval.

Answer 19

The Diving Experiment
Godden and Baddeley (1975) presented words to divers in two different contexts: dry land or underwater. They tested their memory for the words in the original context or in the other one.

Results showed that memory is better if tested in the environment where the words were initially learned

Question 20

Define the term encoding specificity.

Answer 20

The overlap between the state, cognitive process, environment, etc, between retrieval and encoding will facilitate the retrieval of
information.