PS 1507 Memory Organisation and remembering Memory enhancement

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PS 1507 MemoryOrganisation and
rememberingMemory enhancement

• Lecture 5
• Caroline Green
• 
  

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Question

• According to Craik and Lockharts level of
  processing
• theory, if you were to wish to remember the word
  
• fragile and you coded this by thinking of the
  sentence
• the glass vase was fragile so it needed to be
  handled
• carefully when it was washed, you would be
  engaging
• in
• (A) Structural encoding
• (B) Phonemic encoding
• (C) Procedural encoding
• (D) Semantic encoding

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Levels of processing theory

• Meaning must be processed for good long-term
  memory (Craik and Lockhart,1972)
• LTM depends on processes at point of learning
• LTM better if meaning is processed at learning
• Different levels of processing
• 2 kinds of rehearsal

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Episodic and Semantic Memory

• 2 kinds of LTM (Tulving,1972)
• Episodic memory autobiographical
• Semantic Memory conceptual information

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Explicit and Implicit Memory

• Explicit (declarative) memory memories of facts
  conscious process
• Implicit (procedural) memory memories of how to
  perform behaviours

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Effects of prior knowledge and expertise on memory

• Individuals generalised knowledge about world
  affects memory
• Expertise aids memory only for information that
  can be incorporated into existing knowledge
  (chess experiments (De Groot(1966))

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Hypotheses

• Reconstructive hypothesis - prior knowledge has
  major impact at retrieval(Bartlett (1932))
• Constructive hypothesis prior knowledge
  influences comprehension rather than retrieval
  (Bransford and Johnson (1972))

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Sin of Bias

• The distorting influences of present knowledge,
  beliefs and feelings on recollection of previous
  experiences (Schacter, 1999)
• Walsh, Banaji and Greenwald (1999) racial
  biasing effect of past experience

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Schema theory

• Emphasises reconstructive nature of memory
• Schema general cognitive structure that
  organises knowledge about an event or object
  affecting encoding, storage and retrieval of
  information related to it (Alba and Hasher, 1983)
• From our life experience we construct a set of
  schema for each situation. Can develop these to
  give expertise which aids memory

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Functions of schema theory

• Emphasised fact that most of knowledge stored in
  LTM is highly organised
• Shown that processes involved in comprehension
  and retrieval are much influenced by prior
  knowledge
• Shown that many errors of memory are due to
  distortion by prior knowledge

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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
• Memory enhancing drugs

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Essential reading

• Main text Carlson, N.R., Martin, G.N. Buskist,
  W. (2004) Psychology, 2nd Ed., Chapter 8.
• Pages 170-172 (synaesthesia), 280287, 292-294
  and 313-315 are essential reading for this
  lecture and exam.

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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

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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)