Transcript THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEMORY

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEMORY
Handout
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IN
“acquisition”
“re” =
again
REceive
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REspond
REact
REfer to what you already know
REmember from before
REsume where you left off
KEEP IT
STORE
“retention”
Also known
as “MEMORIZING”
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REduce
REpeat
REhearse
REcite out loud
REarrange
REwrite in your own words
REview periodically
REPITITION, REPITITION
REPITITION, REPITITION, REPITITION,
REPITITION, REPITITION,
REPITITION,
REPITI….
SHOW IT
“retrieval”
OUT
REcognition
• The answer is ON the page
• objective tests
– multiple choice
– true/ false
– matching
REcall
• you have to produce the
answer
• fill-in-blanks
• essay questions
MEMORY’S 3
stages:
1. SENSORY MEMORY
• lasts only seconds
• selective attention
By the fifth knock, Roger decided he’d given enough for this
day.
2. SHORT-TERM MEMORY
(STM)
• short duration
• limited space
Pentium IV – 750GB hard drive
256 kb of RAM memory
3. LONG -TERM MEMORY
(LTM)
• possibly permanent
• possibly unlimited
storage
• needs conscious effort
to store
Homer Simpson’s brain scan
Short and longterm memory:
It’s a “jungle” out
there.
Visualize the
following metaphors
for memory
Think of your memory as a vast, overgrown
jungle:
- thick with wild plants, exotic shrubs, twisted
trees, and creeping vines….
In the jungle there are animals, millions.
The “animals” represent all the information in your
memory.
Imagine what happens as a thought, say an “elephant,” tramps across shortterm memory and into the jungle.
It leaves a trail of broken twigs and footprints that you can follow.
1. Visualize
a well-worn
path
The more well-worn the path, the
easier it is to retrieve the thought.
In other words, the more often the
“elephant” retraces the path, the
clearer the path becomes.
The more often
you recall
information, and
the more often
you put the same
information into
your memory, the
easier it is to find.
2. Visualize a
herd of
thoughts
Now picture lots of animals gathering at a clearing—like thoughts
gathering at a central location in the memory.
It is easier to
retrieve thoughts
that are grouped
together, just as it is
easier to find a herd
of animals gathered
than it is to find
single, separated
elephants.
3. Visualize
turning your
back
Imagine releasing the “elephant” into the “jungle,” turning your back on it,
and counting to 10.
When you turn around, the “elephant” is, naturally, gone.
Review ASAP
after it enters
the long-term
memory jungle.
Wear a “path”
in your memory
immediately.
4. Visualize
you directing
the traffic
The last picture includes you, standing at the
entrance to the short-term memory “meadow.”
But, you’re doing more than just
passively watching the animal traffic
file into your brain, wherever they
want to go.
You direct the herds of “animals” as
they file through the pass (your
senses), across the “meadow” (your
STM), and into your long-term
memory where YOU want them to go.
You are taking an
active role in the
memorizing.
In other words,
you’re paying
attention.