Transience

weakening or loss of a memory over time

How Long Does a Memory Last?

• Conditioned taste aversion • Imprinting• Forgetting vs extinction• Habituation, dishabituation,

sensitization

Raise your right hand for each word that is in all capitals.

lion

TABLE

TREE

book

FORK

bird

cup

MONKEY

pencil

LIZARD

mushroom

chair

CAR

picture

FROG

ROPE

magazine

elephant

BEAR

BOTTLE

Raise your right hand for each word that represents

something that is alive.

tiger

SOFA

bush

pen

SPOON

cat

bowl

PENGUIN

microphone

SNAIL

flower

dresser

BIKE

photograph

GNAT

DUMBBELL

goblet

goat

BABY

HAIRBRUSH

Working Memory

Reducing Transience• phonological loop• thinking and talking about an event

increases chance of remembering it • no repeated similar events• analyzing and putting in context • ask yourself questions about what you

want to remember• give it a story that is easy to remember • put it to music

Absent-mindedness

info not registered because of distraction

Change blindness

First example from ABC News

Monkey Business

Prospective Memory

• Remembering to do something later • Time-driven or event-driven

How to Improve Time-driven Prospective Memory

Provide event-driven cues that give us the info when we need it and are informative enough