PSY 381 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Henry Molaison, Interference Theory, Memory Span
Document Summary
Short-term memory (stm): the capacity to store small amounts of information over a short period of time. It is part of the working memory system. Working memory (wm): a system that allows us to temporarily store and actively manipulate information for problem solving, reasoning, learning, and comprehension. Chunking: refers to the process of organizing or grouping individual components into meaningful larger units. During word list learning, for example, one may automatically group words according to semantic categories such as animals with fur. Simple trace decay: thought to explain forgetting in stm when rehearsal is prevented. Simple trace decay is thought to occur over a very short time interval (15-18 sec). Proactive interference: occurs when old or previously learned information interferes with memory for new information. For example, studying for a spanish language exam before studying for a german language exam may result in proactive interference of information.