memory Flashcards
(70 cards)
what is a memory
the information we have retained over a period of time
what is memory
our ability to retain information.
the process of remembering things
what are the 3 stages of memory
encoding storage and retrieval
what is encoding
the process of transforming information to put it into memory
what is storage
the process of maintaining information in memory
what is retrieval
the process of taking memory out of memory storage
what is memory recall
when we consciously re-access a whole memory without having to be reminded of it first
what is memory recognition
when a person is able to retrieve a memory once they are shown the memory again because it feels familiar to them.
what are the three memory characteristics
capacity duration and coding
define capacity
the size of the storage space. a larger capacity means more can be fit in storage
define duration
how long a memory store can keep information in it
define coding
the format in which things are stored in
what are the two types of sensory code
visual and acoustic code
what is sensory coding
when we store sensory information
what is the acoustic code
stores information about sound
what is the visual code
stores information about images
what is the semantic code
storing information by its meaning
what is the sensory register
a temporary memory store that holds sensory information whilst we process it
what are the three memory stores
sensory register, short term memory and long term memory
how long does the sensory register store information for
1-2 seconds (short duration)
what is the capacity of the sensory register
big
evidence that supports our understanding of the sensory register
the Sperling experiment
what was the sperling experiment method
he showed participants a 4 x 3 grid of 12 letters for 50 milliseconds. immediately afterwards participants were asked to recall the letters from the grid. condition 1 were asked to recall as many letters as they could from the grid and condition 2 were asked to recall as many letters as they could from just one row
what type of experiment was sperlings study
laboratory