Lesson 8: Memory


Attention

Memories are stored in a region of the brain called the Hippocampus, shown in red in this computer illustration (Photo Researchers, Inc.)

Click HERE to read an Online article from Smithsonian Magazine titled "How are Brains Make Memories"

This article causes us to wonder if our autobigraphical memory (the memory of the events of our lives) is accurate!

 


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Describe different types of memories that you possess.
  • Analyze the importance of retrieval cues in memory.

Teaching

Memory

There are three processes that are involved in memory:

  • Encoding---making mental representations of sensory information
  • Storing---placing encoded information into permanent mental storage
  • Retrieving---getting or recalling the information

Memory Formation

Here is a graphic that describes the process whereby we convert external stimuli into memories.

Types of Memory

  • Short Term Memory (temporary storage of active memory content)
  • Long Term Memory (unlimited, long periods of time)
  • Sensory Memory (holds specific information for a very brief period of time)
    • Auditory Sensory Memory
    • Visual Sensory Memory
    • Tactile Sensory Memory
  • Flashbulb Memory (an exceptionally clear recollection of a memory)

Each of the types of memory are part of the memory process and have specific functions.

Storage

When we store memory information we store different types:

  • Declarative Memory
    • Semantic (facts, concepts, words)
    • Episodic (personal experiences, history)
  • Procedural Memory (skills, behaviors)

In Alzheimer's Disease the memory that is most often lost is recent "episodic" memory. Old events tend to remain intact as do semantic and procedural memories

Organization of Memories

The predominant theory of memory organization is "Network Theory". This theory presents that we organize information into complex webs of connections between concepts. When we retrieve these memories our thoughts follow along these "threads" interrelating different memories.

Limits of Memory

At some level it is amazing we remember anything at all. Consider the following topics and you can understand why:

  • We don't remember much prior to age 3 because we don't have enough language to organize the information into this web
  • Unfamiliar and uninteresting information is harder to remember! (Like I need to tell YOU that!)
  • We might repress specific information we don't want to remember
  • External events when we are learning (noises, stress, etc.) interfere with the encoding process (see Module 11)
  • We can suffer from Amnesia
  • We distort memories that we store based on our own expectations and bias
  • We sometimes don't recall information because we didn't organize it well the first time (ever lose a file on your computer? Same process!)

Parts of the Brain that are involved in Memory

  • Engram - a group of neurons that are a physical representation of a memory - there is NO evidence of this!
  • Amygdala - this part of the brain regulates emotions, hence emotional connections are important in memories!
  • Hippocampus - recognition and special memory (Your book mentions a person known as H.M. who had his Hippocampus removed...read about Henry Molaison in Wiki.
  • Cerebellum and Pre-Frontal Cortex - Procedural and motor learning along with Classical Conditioning.



In this video we learn about Clive Wearing, the Man with no Short term Memory

Learning and Memory

A key component of learning and memory is the organization of information. Here are some examples that are in every day life, but also reflect the order in our world created in order to help us remember:

  • The order of traffic lights is always red on top, then yellow, then green on the bottom
  • Most light switches, when turned up, make the lights come on
  • Books are organized into chapters, sections, headings, and topics
  • Our world is full of acronyms that are (supposed to be) easier to remember!

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
IRS (Internal Revenue Service)
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)
FOIL (First, Outer, Inner, and Last...referring how to solve a binomial multiplied by a binomial (2x+4)(4x+2)

How can Psychology help me improve my memory?

Review Strategies

  • Knowledge of Results: receiving feedback on learning
  • Recitation: learning out loud
  • Rehearsal
  • Selection: boil information down to the important concepts
  • Organization
  • Serial Position
  • Cues
  • Over-learning
  • Spaced Practice
  • Sleep
  • Test yourself at different times after
  • Review
  • Mnemonics and other strategies
  • Mental pictures
  • Make things meaningful
  • Make information familiar
  • Form bizarre, unusual, or exaggerated mental associations

"Creating False Memories"
Elizabeth Loftus of the University of Washington (originally published in Scientific American, Volume 277, Number 3, in 1997

Synapse Formation is Associated with Memory Storage in the Cerebellum
Kleim (2002)

"Learning, Memory, and Language"
A great brief on the neurology of memory from the Society for Neuroscience

Improving Your Memory
http://www.helpguide.org/life/improving_memory.htm

Memory Improvement Tools (the web versions of these documents are free)
http://www.mindtools.com/memory.html

A Collection of Memory Links
http://www.web-us.com/memory/


Assessment

Lesson 8 Discussion

Think of all the learning situations you have been in where you have been required to memorize information. Considering the concept of "retrieval cues", what methods did you utilize to assist your brain in remembering this information? What role did "cues" play in the memory process? Be specific with examples!

Lesson 8 Quiz

  1. Describe a memory that you have that you feel falls into the category of "Flashbulb Memory"
  2. Describe why you feel you have such a vivid recollection of this Flashbulb Memory.
  3. Describe another memory that you have that you learned based on a specific strategy (such as mnemonics or a rhyme). Make sure you give the example.