A life without memory is no life at

all- Louis Bunuel

What is the earliest memory you could recall?

Chapter 10

Memory and Thought

Section 1

Taking In and Storing Information

Memory Memory is the input, storage, and retrieval of what has been learned or

experienced.

Processes of memory: Encoding: The transformation of information so that the nervous system can process

it. (Use senses to create and record a memory).

Three types:

1. Acoustic: remember things by saying them out loud repeatedly (Listening).

2. Visual: remember by trying to keep a mental picture of things (looking).

3. Semantic: remember things by understanding them or making sense of them.

Storage is the process where information is maintained over a period of time.

Retrieval is when the information is brought to mind or ‘remembered’ from storage.

The Processes of Memory

Encoding (recording)

Storage (saving)

Retrieval (recalling)

Stages of memory1. Sensory memory: quick memory storage which immediately follows a

stimulus. Capacity: all stimulus in the moment.

Duration: lasts a fraction of a second.

2. Short-term memory (working memory): memory that is limited to about 7

items and has low duration if not rehearsed. (working memory combines

short-term and long-term memory for current information i.e. studying). Capacity: about 7 items remembered.

Duration: less than 20 seconds if not rehearsed.

Primary-recency effect: refers to up to the first or last four things you are

able to remember in a list.

Types of rehearsal:

Maintenance rehearsal is a system to remember by repeating information to

one’s self (memorizing).

Chunking is grouping things together to remember them.

3. Long-term memory: the storage of information over long periods of time.

Types of long-term memory:

1. Semantic memory is our knowing of languages and its rules.

2. Episodic memory is our memory of events which occurred in one’s life with

time.

3. Declarative memory is stored information that can be remembered

voluntarily.

4. Procedural memory is the permanent storage of learned skills that don’t

need to be remembered (i.e. writing).

Three Systems of Memory

Sensory Memory Experiment

Memory Centers in the Brain Cortex: Stores memory

Short-term: our ability to remember words, facts, and events

(declarative memory). The capacity of short-term memory depends on

the activity in the cortex.

Long-term: ability to remember words, facts, and events (declarative

memory) from the past depends on activity in the cortex.

Thalamus: information processing

Our ability to process sensory information to create memories.

Hippocampus: Ability to transfer facts or events from short-term into long-

term memory.

Amygdala: Emotion Associations (associate information with emotions).

Amygdala

Short-term memory (stored)

Long-term Memory (storage)

END