PSY-3218 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Long-Term Memory, Flashbulb Memory, Episodic Memory
Adult Development Study Guide (Exam 2)
For information look to power points on ASUlearn and the pages in your textbook listed.
Chapter 6: Attention and Memory (pp. 163-172, and pp. 176-180 of your textbook)
1. How is automatic processing different from effortful processing?
Automatic processing: places minimal demands on attentional capacity;
gets information into the system largely without us being aware of it
Effortful Processing: requires all of the available attentional capacity
2. What is the information Processing Model? Be able to relate which parts of the
computer are representative of input, working memory, and long term memory.
Information Processing Model: uses the computer as a metaphor to explain
how people process stimuli
Input→ working memory → Encoding → Long term memory (storage)
Retrieval
•Working Memory (Think: All open processes)
–The active processes and structures involved in holding information “in mind”
–Information can be used for problem-solving, decision making, or learning.
–Capacity-limited; you can only hold so much information “in mind”
–This capacity shrinks as you get older (e.g., older people can hold less information “in mind”).
Think of working memory as everything currently open on your computer (e.g., all the programs
currently running).
Long Term Memory (Think: Hard drive storage)
–The ability to remember extensive amounts of information in a more permanent form
Long-Term memory is thought to be capacity-unlimited – you can keep stuffing it full of
information and not lose it (once it is learned to a certain level). You might have trouble
accessing it, though.
• The regions in RED are where most of the NORMAL age problems are. Normally aging
adults often have trouble juggling many things in their mind (working memory), and
deliberately or effortfully encoding and retrieving information.
• In ABNORMAL aging (Alzheimer’s Disease), there is an additional STORAGE problem
– new information doesn’t get shifted into long-term memory. Eventually they also start
to lose long-term memories that are already stored.
• Essentially, people who are aging normally have long-term memories but have trouble
accessing them. People with AD lose the memories themselves, so there is nothing to
retrieve.
3. What is implicit memory? What is explicit memory? Which one is most impacted by
aging?
Implicit Memory:
• Implicit memory (procedural memory)
• Retrieval of information without conscious or intentional recollection
• Not greatly impacted by aging
Explicit Memory:
• Explicit memory (declarative)
• Intentional and conscious remembering of learned information
• Most impacted by aging.
4. What is working memory? Describe some age related changes in working memory.
Long Term Memory (Think: Hard drive storage)
• The ability to remember extensive amounts of information in a more
permanent form
• Long-Term memory is thought to be capacity-unlimited – you can keep
stuffing it full of information and not lose it (once it is learned to a certain
level). You might have trouble accessing it, though.
5. What is episodic memory? What is semantic memory? Come up with an example of
each.
Episodic Memory:
• Learning and remembering the meaning of words and concepts
that are not tied to specific occurrences of events in time
Example: Vocabulary; “Trivia” facts (What is the capital of North Carolina?
What is your birthdate?)
• Not as impacted by aging (e.g., you’re unlikely to forget your
birthdate, no matter how old you get)
• Stable until 55-60 YO; decline at 65
Semantic Memory:
• Conscious recollection of information from a specific event or point
in time
• Recall (remembering without hints) vs. recognition (choosing
from items)
• Very impacted by aging, and Recall is more impacted than
Recognition
• *Increases from 35-55 then levels off; less severe decline at 65.
6. How do older adults differ in terms of ability to encode vs. retrieve? What are some
effective strategies to help older adults encode?
Encoding:
• Getting information into memory
• Older adults have trouble coming up with encoding strategies, but
once given a strategy can encode well
Retrieval:
• Getting information out of memory
• Older adults both have trouble coming up with retrieval strategies,
and have more trouble retrieving when given a strategy
• e.g., “Tip of the Tongue” state
Strategies:
• anything that helps people make a task easier and increase the efficiency
of encoding or retrieval. Encoding strategies include but are not limited to
TYPES:
• Rehearsing
• Connecting dots in your mind to connect new stuff to meaningful old stuff
• Singing, loudly and often
• Mnemonic devices
• Retrieval strategies are harder – trying to remember the context you
were in while encoding helps, as well as trying to remember tangential
ideas. Older adults have a much harder time with them.
7. What is prospective memory? Are older adults more likely to remember an event-
based task or a time-based task?
Prospective Memory:
Remembering to perform a planned action in the future.
Differences between event-based and time-based future events.
• Remembering to remember something in the future, such as an action or event (I.e. -
pick up kids at school).
• Event based tasks – When you have to do something based on an event: giving a
person a message when they provide a secret word, or talking to your boss once you
get to work.
• Time based task - involves performing an action at a certain time
• Time based tasks show more age differences as long as people used self-generated
strategies.
• Older people tend to rely more heavily on reminders (like calendars, pill sorters) to
get around these problems.
Document Summary
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