PS 1507 Memory Organisation and Remembering Every day memory

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PS 1507 MemoryOrganisation and
RememberingEvery day memory

• Lecture 6
• Caroline Green

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Mnemonics

• Techniques for organising information and
  providing memory cues to allow easier recall
• Various types Acronyms, Method of Loci, The
  Pegword Method, The Link Method

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Types of Mnemonics

• Acrostics/Acronyms use first letters of words
• Method of loci uses association with landmarks
• Pegword method uses numbers and objects that
  rhyme with them
• Link/narrative method - connects images of items
  in sequence

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SQ3R for learning complex, integrated material

• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recite
• Review

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Supernormal memory

• Memory expert, Shereshevskii(S) (Luria(1975))
  use of synaesthesia
• Ericsson (1988) depends on strategies -
  meaningful encoding, retrieval structure and
  speed-up
• Wilding and Valentine (1994) strategists and
  naturals.

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Requirements for v.high memory skills
(Ericsson(1988))

• Meaningful encoding by relating items to
  pre-existing knowledge.
• Retrieval structure cues stored with the
  information to facilitate subsequent retrieval
• Speed-up extensive practice - processes
  involved in encoding and retrieval function
  progressively faster.

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What else may affect memory?

• Music lessons
• Exercise
• Food
• Alcohol
• Dieting
• HRT
• Stress

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Eye witness Testimony

• Witnesses recollections about events, most
  notably about criminal activity
• Misidentifications from line-ups are single
  leading cause of wrongful criminal convictions
  (Lindsay Pozzulo(1999) Wells Bradfield
  (1999))

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Problems

• Misattribution memory present, but
  misattributed
• Often inaccurate because of influence of
  post-event information or questioning (Loftus
  Palmer (1974))
• Violence during event memory poorer (Loftus
  Burns (1982)

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Misinformation acceptance (and leading questions)

• Eyewitnesses may accept misleading post-event
  information sin of suggestibility
• Tendency to accept post-event info. increases
  with time
• Has less effect on memory for crucial information

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What can be done?

• Providing cues can help retrieval of an accurate
  memory
• Testimony can be improved by use of
  basic/enhanced cognitive interview techniques
  (Geiselman et al (1984), Fisher et al(1987)).

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Real-life event (flashbulb memories)

• Vivid, detailed memories of dramatic events of
  social or personal importance
• Accurate and long lasting, special neural
  mechanism (Brown Kulik(1977)) ?
• Different from other memories?

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References

• Ho,Y-C, Cheung,M-C and Chan, A.S. (2003) Music
  training improves verbal but not visual memory
  cross-sectional and longitudinal explorations in
  children. Neuropsychology, 17(3), 439-450
• Small, G. (2004) The memory prescription. New
  York. Hyperion Books. (for interest only)
• Schachter, D.L. (1999) The seven sins of memory.
  American Psychologist, 543, 182-203
• Eysenck, M.W. Keane, M. T. (2000) Cognitive
  Psychology. (4th ed). Chapter 8.
• Conway, M.A. et al (1994). The formation of
  flashbulb memories. Memory and Cognition, 22,
  326-343.

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Web sites

• http//www.frii.com/geomanda/mnemonics.html
• http//www.lgu.ac.uk/psychology/staff/elander/CHAM
  PION.HTM
• http//www.lgu.ac.uk/psychology/staff/elander/SHER
  ASH.HTM
• http//www.hyperionbooks.com/titlepage.asp?ISBN14
  01300669
• (website for Smalls book )
• http//www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg18625
  011.90
• ( 11 steps to a better brain)

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Web sites

• http//mcadams.posc.mu.edu/zaid.htm
• (eye witness material)
• http//cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/carlson_
  ema/chapter98/deluxe.html
• (eye witness testimony and suggestibility)
• http//faculty.washington.edu/eloftus/
• http//www.exploratorium.edu/memory/messingwithyou
  rmind/index.html