Psychology SAC 2b

The receiving, organising, storage and recovery of information acquired through learning. Involves 3 fundamental processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Encoding: The conversion of information into a usable form from external stimuli which is stored in the brain for later use

Storage: The retention of encoded information over time

Retrieval: The recovery of stored information through bringing the information into our conscious awareness when needed

Represents memory as consisting of three different stores called sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. 

external stimuli -> SENSORY MEMORY (decay/replacement) attention -> SHORT TERM MEMORY (decay/displacement) encoding -> LONG TERM MEMORY (forgetting) retrieval

• Capacity: unlimited
• Duration: 0.3-4 seconds

When we pay attention to sensory information, it will be transferred to SHORT TERM MEMORY

• Iconic memory: visual sensory info (0.3 seconds)
• Echoic memory: auditory sensory info (3-4 seconds)

• Capacity: 7 +/- 2 (around 5-9 items)
• Duration: 12-30 seconds 

Receives from sensory, retrieves from long term

• Decay: info is lost because it is not being used
• Displacement: info is lost as it is pushed out by incoming information

• Capacity: unlimited
• Duration: relatively permanent

Information storage for re-access and use at a later time, stores a potentially, unlimited amount of information for a very long time, possibility permanently.

• Explicit memory:
• consciously retrieved, voluntary

• - Semantic memory:
• facts
• - Episodic memory:
• personal experience

• Chunking:
• grouping or 'packaging' of separate bits of info into a larger single unit or chunk of info to improve capacity

• Implicit memory:
• unconsciously retrieved, involuntary

• - Procedural memory:
• knowing how to carry out tasks, facilitated by motor skills
• - Classical conditioned memory:
• involves an involuntary response to a stimulus which has been repeatedly associated with an emotionally arousing stimulus

• Cerebellum: (*motor skills, simple reflexes*)
• Encoding and storing procedural memories that are associated with motor skills - CLASSICAL CONDITIONED MEMORY

• Basal Ganglia: (cognition)
• Encoding and storing procedural memories that are associated with unconscious habits, behaviors, and procedures - PROCEDURAL MEMORY

• Hippocampus: (consolidates when and where)
• - consolidating, encoding, and aiding the retrieval of explicit episodic and semantic memories
• - interacts with amygdala when encoding and neocortex when storing and retrieving emotionally arousing memories. 

• Amygdala: (emotional)
• - retrieving emotional aspects of memory
• - when detecting emotional arousing experience, it signals to hippocampus, enhancing strengthening of that memory during encoding 
• - increased amount of noradrenaline 

• Neocortex: (storage)
• - stores explicit memories (semantic and episodic)
• - info is stored where it is first processed (eg. visual in occipital lobe)
• - retrieved for later use

Memories of personally experienced events (explicit)

Retrieval of Episodic memory -> hippocampus

Retrieval of Semantic memory -> neocortex

• Episodic memory: (personal experience)
• the feelings associated with dancing to the music 
• Semantic memory: (facts)
• what music was playing

Semantic memory -> envision possible scenarios that are consistent and fit in with what they already know about the world

Episodic memory -> includes more richly detailed elements, such as the people involved or emotional reactions

*damage to hippocampus = struggle to imagine future scenarios*

• 1. Area damaged first -> hippocampus, disrupting the encoding/retrieval of semantic and episodic memories
• 2. Neocortex -> stored memories lost and cognitive deficits
• 3. Cerebellum -> decline in cognitive performance, decline in accuracy, speed and consistency of info processing

* difficult with autobiographical memory and possible imagined futures*

Brain lesions: refer to damage or changes in the tissue of an organism's brain, typically caused by disease or trauma

Amyloid plaques: fragments of the protein beta-amyloid that accumulates around neurons into insoluble plaques that inhibit communication between neurons

Neurofibrillary tangles: an accumulation of the protein tau that forms insoluble tangles WITHIN neurons, which inhibits the transportation of essential substances and eventually kills the neuron entirely

memory decline, loss of autobiographical events, difficulty possible imagined futures

May not be able to visualize richly detailed vivid episodic memory (personal experience) due to their inability to generate mental imagery

While semantic memory may remain intact, the visual component of these memories may also be lacking

*often struggle to retrieve autobiographical memory and construct possible imagined future*

• Acronym:
• a mnemonic device where the first letters of items form a PRONOUNCEABLE word
• Acrostics:
• the first letters of items form a phrase, rhyme, or poem
• The method of LOCI:
• converts items into mental images and associates them with specific locations
• 1. visualise
• 2. select memorable plans
• 3. visual imagery for each item
• 4. link to identifiable landmarks
• 5. imagine they are walking and retrieve item

• sung narratives:
• stories that share important cultural, ecological and survival info through the use of singing, harmony, and rhythm
• songlines:
• short sung narratives associated with specific locations that are linked by a physically walked path through country