PSYC 1020H Chapter 7: Human Memory
3 May 2018
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Human Memory
Encoding: Getting Information into Memory
● The multifaceted process of memory begins with encoding. Attention, which
facilitates encoding, is inherently selective and has been compared to a filter.
● According to levels-of-processing theory, the kind of memory codes people
create depend on which aspects of a stimulus are emphasized; deeper
processing (ie semantic encoding) results in better recall of information.
Structural, phonemic, and semantic encoding represent progressively deeper
and more effective levels of processing.
● Elaboration enriches encoding by linking a stimulus to other information. Visual
imagery may work in much the same way, creating two memory codes rather
than just one. Encoding that emphasizes personal self-reference may be
especially useful in facilitating retention.
Storage; Maintaining Information in Memory
● Sensory memory preserves information in its original form for only a fraction of a
second. Short-term memory has a limited capacity and can maintain
unrehearsed information for up to about 20 seconds. Short-term memory is
working memory and appears to involve more than a simple rehearsal loop.
● Long-term memory is an unlimited capacity store that may hold information
indefinitely. Certain lines of evidence suggest that LTM storage may be
permanent, but the evidence is not convincing. Some theorists have raised
doubts about whether short-term and long-term memory are really separate.
● Information in LTM can be organized in simple clusters, conceptual hierarchies,
or semantic networks. A schema is an organized cluster of knowledge about a
particular object or sequence of events. PDP models of memory assert that
specific memories correspond to particular patterns of activation in connectionist
networks.
Retrieval; Getting Information Out of Memory
● Reinstating the context of an event can facilitate recall. The factor may account
for cases in which hypnosis appears to aid recall. Memories are not exact
replicas of past experiences. Memory is partially reconstructive.
● Research on the misinformation effect shows that information learned after an
event can alter one’s memory of it. Source-monitoring and reality-monitoring
errors may explain why people sometimes “recall” something was only suggested
to them or something they only imagined.
Document Summary
The multifaceted process of memory begins with encoding. Attention, which facilitates encoding, is inherently selective and has been compared to a filter. According to levels-of-processing theory, the kind of memory codes people create depend on which aspects of a stimulus are emphasized; deeper processing (ie semantic encoding) results in better recall of information. Structural, phonemic, and semantic encoding represent progressively deeper and more effective levels of processing. Elaboration enriches encoding by linking a stimulus to other information. Visual imagery may work in much the same way, creating two memory codes rather than just one. Encoding that emphasizes personal self-reference may be especially useful in facilitating retention. Sensory memory preserves information in its original form for only a fraction of a second. Short-term memory has a limited capacity and can maintain unrehearsed information for up to about 20 seconds. Short-term memory is working memory and appears to involve more than a simple rehearsal loop.
