Memory and Remembering

The three basic processes that make memory possible are encoding,

storage, and retrieval

What is memory?

Memory is the system by which we retain information and bring it to mindLearning depends on memoryWithout memory, experience would leave no mark on our behaviorHumans would be unable to retain the information and skills we acquire through experience

Human’s Informational Processing Center

Three basic processes:Encoding:converting information into a form usable in memoryStorage: retaining information in memoryRetrieval: bringing to mind information stored in memory

Memory Encoding

Process of taking in informationInformation about the outside world comes to us through our senses – BUT…For this information to enter memory, it must undergo a process of memory encoding

HOW DO WE ENCODE?

Acoustically – coded by sound (repeating a phone number in mind by repeating it to yourself)Visually – coded by forming a mental picture (picturing a mental image of the digits of the telephone number)Semantically – coded by meaning (transform sounds or visual images into recognizable words)

Memory Storage

Process of retaining information in memoryNot all information becomes an enduring or long-term memoryWe will talk more about this when we get to stages of memory

Memory Retrieval

The process of accessing stored information to make it available to consciousness.Although memory retrieval is amazing it is far from perfect.Though some memories seem to be retrieved effortlessly, others depend on the availability of retrieval cues.

Retrieval Cues

Cues associated with the original learning, to jog them into awareness.

Example: police detectives often take victims back to the scene of the crime to help their memories of the crime.

WHY?

Encoding Specificity Principle

According to this principle, retrieval of particular memories will be more successful when cues available during recall are similar to those that were present when the information was originally encoded.

Context-Dependent Memory Effect

The tendency for information to be better recalled in the context in which it was originally learned.

Problem with Final exams…

State-Dependent Memory Effect

The tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same psychological or physiological state as when the information was first learned.

Example: state of rest v. state of exercise before learning a list of twenty words