Long Term Memory

• The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system.

Long-Term Memory

• Is it limitless?...We think so!

• Rajan was able to recite 31,811 digits of pi.

• At 5 years old, Rajan would memorize the license plates of all of his parents’ guests (about 75 cars in ten minutes). He still remembers the plate numbers to this day.

Long Term Memory - Types

Bell Ringer 3/4• 1. What does it mean to reconstruct a

memory? • 2. Match each reconstructive memory

concept with the correct example from yesterday’s airplane story.

Leveling

Sharpening

Assimilation

a. Some nondistinctive details -- the type of airplane, the name of the revolutionary group, and sometimes, the flight's origin and destination --were left out.

b. Because for many students, even today, pilots are men and flight attendants are women, Jane Randall will be remembered as the flight attendant and Jack Swanson as the pilot.

c. Particularly distinctive details are remembered, such as the calibre of the gun for students who are familiar with guns, and, especially for female students, the gender of the pilot.

Objectives

• 1. Describe concepts of memory retrieval; context effect & Déjà Vu

• 2. Explain why we forget; encoding failure, retrieval failure, decay.

Memory Retrieval• Reconstructive Memory

– Leads to incorrect memories– process of piecing together

memories by fitting them to a meaningful plan or organization

– we fill in gaps with assumptions because we are uncomfortable with the gaps. Once we've done this, distinguishing what actually happened from what we filled in is almost impossible.

The Rumor Chain – reconstructive memory activity • Errors in each successive telling of the

story are usually predictable:– Leveling – The tendency to simplify the

material. Non-distinct details are left out.– Sharpening – Different individuals will

highlight or over emphasize different details based on their prior experience and personal expectations. They will correctly remember odd/very specific details that others probably would have forgotten.

– Assimilation – Details of the story will be changed to fit the subjects own background knowledge and expectations; schemas.

Memory Retrieval

• Context Effect • It helps to put yourself back in

the same context you experienced (encoded) something.

• If you study on your favorite chair at home, you will probably score higher if you also took the test on the chair.

Memory Retrieval

• Déjà Vu: eerie sense that you have experienced something before.

• current situation cues past experiences that are very similar to the present one- your mind gets confused.

Is déjà vu really a glitch in your memory?

Forgetting

• Why can’t I remember?

Forgetting

Encoding failure•We fail to encode the information.•It never has a chance to enter our LTM.

Storage Decay

• Even if we encode something well, we can forget it.

• Without rehearsal, we forget thing over time.

Forgetting: Decay

Retrieval Failure

• The memory was encoded and stored, but sometimes you just cannot access the memory.

Motivated Forgetting

One explanation is REPRESSION:

• psychoanalytic theory

• defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings and memories from consciousness.

Why does is exist?

Bell Ringer 3/5• 1. Give an example of someone who has

experienced the context effect.

• 2. State which type of forgetting is being described.– A. Have you ever felt like a piece of information has just

vanished from memory? Or maybe you know that it's there, you just can't seem to find it. One common cause of forgetting is simply an inability to get the memory from your LTM.

– B. Over time, memories begin to fade and disappear. If information is not retrieved and rehearsed, it will eventually be lost

– C. Sometimes, we may actively work to forget memories, especially those of traumatic or disturbing events or

experiences.

Common SenseWhich is the real penny?

Bell Ringer 3/8• Complete the following as a quick review for you

QUIZ on FRIDAY. Use your notes to fill in the missing words.

• 1. Memories in your consciousness at any given moment are in _____ - term memory.

• 2. The memory of your own life is called ______ memory.

• 3. When you ______ information, you transform it so that your memory can process it.

• 4. _______ memory holds auditory information for an instant.

• 5. The ______ refers to the fact that we are better able to recall information presented at the beginning and end of a list.

• 6. Some inputted information may fade away, or ______, over time.