PSYC101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Semantic Network, Railways Act 1921, Baily'S Beads
PSYC101: Introduction to Behavioural sciences !
Memory and Cognition
-Mental processes and memory play a critical role in psychological processes !
-Memory functioning affects !
•How we think, feel (ourselves, other people or objects), act (what we can do) !
-Memory is important for !
•Identity !
•Continuity - accumulated experience !
-How memory had been considered by researchers !
•How memory in it’s various forms contribute to the larger image of what we can do !
Name a metaphor used to describe the processes central to memory function
-Process - Analogy to information processing by a compute!
- Encoding !
•Human memory = Involves forming a memory code !
•Computer = Entering data through keyboard !
-Storage !
•Involves maintaining encoded info in memory over time !
•Saving data in file on hard disk !
-Retrieval !
•Involves recovering info from memory stores !
•Calling up file and displaying data on monitor !
Define the processes of memory
-Information-processing theories !
-Seperate memory stores, Atkinson & Shiffrin (1971)
!
•3 different types, along a chain !
•Sensory information would be registered and in stage: Sensory memory. There for just long
enough to pay attention and decide if worthy enough of further processing !
•Info then held in Short term, approx 30 seconds, memory/info kept active through control
processes like rehearsal !
•If info remains active in short term memory for long enough, it can be transferred to store:
long term memory !
•Short term memory stores = associated w/ processing info from our present. Part most
closely involved with conscious processing. As consequence, retrieval of memory from long
term store involved transfer of that info back into short term store at point of recall. !
•Sensory memory: !
-Brief storage of sensory stimulation !
•Visual sensory memory (the icon - continuous after image) !
•Auditory sensory memory (the echo - repeat final sounds like final words of sentence) !
•Decays quickly - much less than a second !
-Time to recognise stimuli!
•Opportunity to focus attention !
•Large capacity (particularly visual icon), short duration (0.5 seconds) !
•Short-term memory !
-Limited capacity (timewise) - up to 20 secs !
-Peterson & Peterson (1959) - testing the duration of unrehearsed info !
•Articulatory suppression !
•Consonant trigrams !
-Rehearsal = mechanism we use to keep info available in short term memory. Recycling +
repeating of info to prevent info loss. !
-If info held in short term for long enough - transferred to long term !
-Rehearsal can increase capacity/duration of short term memory —> makes transfer of info
to long term more likely !
-Some argue: interference or decay is responsible for loss of information!
•Decay = memory trace fades away !
•Interference = memory trace is made wholly of partially inaccessible due to other
information (other similar info blocking access to target info) !
-Limited capacity (item wise) !
•Miller (1956) seven + or - 2 items !
•E.g. digit sequence between 5-9 digits in length !
•Displacement of some items when capacity is at a maximum - limits performance on
tasks !
•Chunking = strategy to increase capacity !
-E.g. grouping digits w/ mobile phone numbers !
-Grouping familiar info/stimuli for storage as a single unit !
-Uses additional info from long-term memory!
•Long-term memory !
-Huge capacity !
-Potentially long duration (decades) !
-Organised by meaning !
-Forgetting mostly due to interference, not decay !
-Working Memory !
•Part of memory used to maintain and process info for more complex problem solving
(Baddeley 2001) !
•Memory in action, working to support higher cognition !
•Phonological loop = verbal storage !
•Visuospatial sketchpad = visuospatial memory !
•Central executive = attentional control + resources, + manipulation of info from other parts of
system, strategy selection, etc? !
•access to long-term memory, **text book: !
•Episodic buffer = integration of info into a single episode !
Types of long term memory !
-Declarative and Procedural memory !
•Declarative memory = knowing that !
-factual information !
•Procedural = knowing how to do something !
-Semantic and Episodic memory !
•Semantic memory = general facts !
Document Summary
Mental processes and memory play a critical role in psychological processes. Memory functioning a ects: how we think, feel (ourselves, other people or objects), act (what we can do) Memory is important for: identity, continuity - accumulated experience. How memory had been considered by researchers: how memory in it"s various forms contribute to the larger image of what we can do. Name a metaphor used to describe the processes central to memory function. Process - analogy to information processing by a compute. Encoding: human memory = involves forming a memory code, computer = entering data through keyboard. Storage: involves maintaining encoded info in memory over time, saving data in le on hard disk. Retrieval: involves recovering info from memory stores, calling up le and displaying data on monitor. Seperate memory stores, atkinson & shi rin (1971: 3 di erent types, along a chain, sensory information would be registered and in stage: sensory memory.
