Term
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Definition
The increase in responsiveness of a neuron as a function of past stimulation
Occurs in the hippocampus and cortical areas
A form of neural learning
neuron is “primed”, doesn’t need as much stimulus to respond.
Neurons are growing more dendrites is what they have found.
Excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs ) |
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Term
| What key factors influence our success in creating new memories? |
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Definition
Depth of processing
Meaningfulness
Elaboration (elaborative processing) - meaningful or otherwise, i.e.
Semantic processing can also help (i.e.rhymes, mnemonics) |
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Term
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Definition
Creating additional information that relates to and/or expands on what it is that needs to be remembered. Meaningful is best, but simply more elaborate (upside down text) is better.
Involves adding relevant information to an item to be remembered
More elaborate processing results in better memory, even if that processing is not focused on the meaning of the material. |
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Term
What is the Method of Loci technique?
What are two important principles at work with the technique? |
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Definition
An ancient technique of memorization by which memories are referenced directly onto spatial maps. Depends heavily on visual imagery and the use of spatial knowledge to organize recall. (Based on tale of Simonides remembering corpses in the banquet hall)
1) Organization placed on unorganized (i.e. less meaningful) material
2) Connections of objects to locations forces meaningful, elaborative processing, and by use of visual imagery (I would also add that we are using embodied cognition by our "walk" along a mental "path") |
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Term
| What is a good everyday example of the strength of meaningful processing irrespective of intention to learn? |
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Definition
| What is the way people remember details from a novel more easily than they remember information from a textbook a good example of? :-) |
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Term
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Definition
| Particularly good memory for events that are very important to a person, esp. traumatic events |
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Term
| What are the two possible explanations for why memories formed in high arousal states (traumatic memories) are better retained? |
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Definition
1) We have some special biological mechanism that reinforces memories that are important to us (i.e. amygdala)
2) We tend to rehearse events that were important to us more often. |
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Term
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Definition
A rapidly changing state of memory traces that determine both the probability and speed of access to the memory trace
Activation in the prefrontal regions drives long-term potentiation in the hippocampus, thereby causing the creation and strengthening of memories. |
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Term
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Definition
| Alternative to older "Short Term" memory theories. Memory system that provides temporary storage for information that is currently being used in some conscious capacity, i,e, to perform a task (Baddeley, 1986 - visuospatial sketch pad and phonological loop.) |
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Term
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Definition
| Sensory memory study where a grid of letters was scanned quickly and study participants attempted to recall as many as possible. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of Baddeley's theory of working memory: along with phonological loop, both of which are controlled by a central executive which are systems for holding information on our part of working memory |
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Term
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Definition
| Very short term capacity of visual sensory memory, ~ 1s. Effectively hold all information is visual space. Dark field vs. light extends life to 5s. |
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Term
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Definition
The property of a memory trace that determines how active the trace can become
Increases with practice
Decays with time |
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Term
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Definition
Process by which associated memories are made available by items currently or recently attended
Activation spreads along paths of a network
Reflected in associative priming
Activation of memory spreads from presented items through network to memories related to the prime item. |
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Term
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Definition
A proposed intermediate system in which information has to reside on its journey from sensory memory to long-term memory
Older theory - Atkinson and Shifrin's theory of short-term memory postulated that is information is rehearsed in a limited capacity short-term memory it is deposited in long-term memory but what turned out to be important was how deeply the material is processed.
[image] |
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Term
| SAM - Search of Associative Memory - |
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Definition
Search of Associative Memory - Shiffrin's theory
Memory traces (images) varying in their familiarity (activation). |
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Term
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Definition
Memory performance improves as a function of practice
Performance (Memory) = Practice (Time/Repetition) +a-exponent
Positive exponent for practice, negative exponent for passage of time without practice (decay of memory - forgetting)
Improvement decreases with more practice over time, however. |
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Term
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Definition
| Amount of P (practice) is being raised to an exponent or "power", so it's a power function. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of Baddeley's theory of working memory: along with visuospatial sketchpad, both controlled by a central executive. System for holding auditory information in working memory. Composed of articulatory loop (talking to ourselves - broca's area) and phonological store (inner ear that hears the talking - activation in parietal-temporal, during storage of verbal info) |
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Term
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Definition
| Sperling's modification of the whole report procedure. Revealed short-term visual memory. Image faded from view, but participants were cued by a tone to read one row out of the grid. Delay of tone decreased amount remembered. Image gone by 1s. |
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Term
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Definition
Number of digits you can hold in short term memory - 6-8 is normal.
The number of elements one can immediately repeat back |
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Term
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Definition
| Sensory memory of images, visual sensory store |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Proposes that rehearsal improves memory only if the material is rehearsed in a deep and meaningful way
How long the information is processed is irrelevant. |
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Term
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Definition
| central processor that controls and manages use of visual and auditory memory |
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Term
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Definition
| Capacity of sensory memory to store auditory information. |
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Term
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Definition
| Associations between words , can facilitate the speed with which words are read. |
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Term
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Definition
| The "inner voice" when trying to remember something. Part of the Phonological loop along with the phonological store (hearing the voice). Word length effect - length of time needed to say word determines if it can be remembered. Say faster, can remember more! 1.5 to 2 seconds worth of material can be rehearsed in the articulatory loop. |
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Term
| ACT (Adaptive Control of Thought) |
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Definition
Anderson's theory of Long-term memory: Considers memory traces varying in their activation. Study of associations and activations.
Ai = Bi + ∑ Wj Sji
Base-level activation - Memory strength
Activation from associated concepts - Spreading activation |
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Term
| What is a measure of LTP? |
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Definition
| EPSC - Excitatory post-synaptic current |
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Term
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Definition
| a hypothetical change in neural tissue postulated in order to account for persistence of memory—called also engram |
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Term
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Definition
| Event related potential - An event-related potential (ERP) is any measured brain response that is directly the result of a thought or perception. |
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Term
| What's the difference between short term memory and Baddeley's articulatory Loop? |
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Definition
| The phonological loop is not critical for getting the information into long term memory, it's just an auxiliary system for keeping the information available in working memory. |
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Term
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Definition
| The stage of memory that registers information about the environment and holds it for a very brief period of time |
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Term
| Delayed Match-to Sample Task |
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Definition
Primate working memory: Sees food, delay, then takes food from right spot.
Working memory experiment.
Recorded activity in prefrontal lobe
Found neurons specifically firing during working memory task
Prefrontal lobe damage, then cannot select from proper well
Before 1 year, human infants cannot perform similar tasks
Goldman-Rakic (1992)
- Area 46 in monkeys, 47 in humans |
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Term
| PQ4R method (Thomas & Robinson, 1972) |
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Definition
1. Preview
2. Questions
3. Read
4. Reflect
5. Recite
6. Review |
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Term
| Incidental versus intentional learning |
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Definition
Level of processing, and not whether one intends to learn, determines the amount of material remembered.
Hyde and Jenkins (1973) |
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Term
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Definition
| People’s tendency to remember more about information that refers to themselves than about other information |
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