PSY 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Kim Peek, Iconic Memory, Sensory Memory
Document Summary
The retention of information over time (e. g. , sensory, short-term, long-term) Our memories are surprisingly good in most situations (e. g. , remembering how to get to work) Our memories are surprisingly bad in others (e. g. , names of people we"ve met) This is referred to as the paradox of memory. The same mechanisms that serve us well most of the time can (and do) fail us in certain. We remember huge amounts of information e. g. , pictures presented for only a few seconds e. g. , lyrics to hundreds of songs. Remembering words that weren"t on the list is the result of a memory illusion. Our brains go beyond the available information to make sense of the world. Generally adaptive, but makes us prone to errors. When remembering, we actively reconstruct memories, not passively reproduce them. Close your eyes and brie y try to remember your walk on to campus this morning. Did you see yourself as if from a distance (observer)