Memory As Information Processing

1		refers to the processes that allow us to record and later retrieve experiences and information. Today the mind is visualized as a processing system. It takes in information by translating it into a neural code that your brain processes, a process called . The brain retains information over time through and pulls information out of long-term memory through processes. Most cognitive psychologists suggest a three-component model of memory. memory holds incoming sensory information just long enough for it to be recognized. Our visual sensory register is called the store, while the auditory sensory register is called the store. Most information in sensory memory quickly fades away, but information that we pay attention to enters memory, which is also called memory. The capacity of working memory is rather small, but it can be increased through , which requires the combination of individual items into larger units of meaning. By rehearsing information, we can keep it in short-term memory longer. rehearsal involves the simple repetition of information, like repeating a phone number in order to remember it, while rehearsal involves focusing on the meaning of information or relating it to things we already know. Our vast library of stored information is called memory.

Encoding: Entering Information

2		According to the notion, the more deeply we process information, the better it will be remembered. Because of this, rehearsal is the best method of facilitating the transfer of information into long-term memory. Organizational devices such as using hierarchies, chunking, and mnemonic devices help us to remember information. Paivio discovered that we encode information in both verbal and visual codes, which is known as his theory. Prior knowledge also shapes encoding. A is an organized pattern of thought about some aspect of the world.

Storage: Retaining Information

3		After information is encoded, it is organized and stored in long-term memory. One group of theories suggests that memory is represented as a massive network of associated ideas and concepts, called an network. In such a network, when people think about one concept, it triggers thinking about related concepts throughout the network, through the process called . The term refers to the activation of one concept by another. In a network, each concept is represented by a particular pattern or set of nodes that becomes activated simultaneously. There are several types of long-term memory. memory involves factual knowledge and consists of two types. Our store of factual information about the world and language is called memory, while our store of factual memory about our personal experiences is called memory. memory is reflected in skills and actions we perform. Memory retrieval can involve both conscious and unconscious processes. memory involves conscious memory retrieval while memory influences our behavior without conscious awareness.

Retrieval: Accessing Information

4		A stimulus that activates of information stored in long-term memory is called a cue. Sometimes memories are so clear that we can picture them like a snapshot in time. Such memories are called memories. Context, state, and mood affect our ability to retrieve information. The principle that states that memory is enhanced when conditions present during retrieval match those that were present during encoding is called the . Sometimes it is easier to remember information if we are in the same environment in which the information was first encoded, a phenomenon called memory. Similarly, our ability to retrieve information is greater when our internal state at the time of retrieval matches our original state during learning, which is called memory. We also tend to recall information or events that are congruent with our current mood, which is known as recall.

Forgetting

5		Hermann Ebbinghaus pioneered the study of forgetting, discovering that memory declines rapidly and then levels off after initial learning. There are several theories of why we forget things. One theory is that we forget things because we fail to encode them well enough. Another theory, called theory, suggests that with time and disuse the physical memory trace in the nervous system just fades away. Yet another theory, interference theory, suggests that we forget because other items in long-term memory overwrite or impair our ability to retain information. interference occurs when material learned in the past interferes with the learning of new information. interference occurs when newly acquired information interferes with the ability to retrieve information stored at an earlier time. Psychodynamic theorists suggest that we may be motivated to forget particularly disturbing information through . Amnesia involves a dramatic forgetting of basic information. amnesia refers to memory loss for events that occur after the initial onset of amnesia while amnesia represents memory loss for events that occurred prior to the amnesia. Most of us can't remember events of our early childhood due to amnesia.

Memory as a Constructive Process

6		The use of appropriate helps us to organize information as we encode and retrieve it. Sometimes, though, schemas can influence the distortion of information. The distortion of a memory by misleading postevent information is called the effect. Misinformation effects also occur because of , our tendency to recall something or recognize it without being able to remember where we encountered it.

The Biology of Memory

7		The and its adjacent tissues seem to play a key role in encoding long-term declarative memories. The cerebral cortex also seems to play an important role in encoding. One hypothetical process called suggests that the diverse aspects of an experience are first processed by different parts of the cortex and are then consolidated or "bound" together in the hippocampus. Memory may involve the stimulation of synaptic connections. An enduring increase in synaptic strength between neurons is called .