Transcript Memory Disorders

Why Our Memory Fails Us
Psychology
Miss Gardner
Warm-Up

What are some reasons that our memory
might fail us?
Memory Disorders Overview

Any illness can cause memory ipairment

Any time that concentration is disrupted,
memory will be affected

Disorders that affect the memory number
around 50.
Alzheimer’s Disease

Progressive
deterioration of the
brain

Elderly

No known cause

Main effects on
memory
Alzheimer’s
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/bestvideos-alzheimers#7
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/bestvideos-alzheimers#13
Alzheimer’s Disease

Symptoms:
1. Unawareness of memory problems
2. Confusion
3. Short-term question repetition
4. Getting lost in familiar areas
5. Forgetting
a) who they are
b) memories from younger years
c) meaning of words
d) simple tasks
Treatment for Alzheimer’s

No known cure

Mental exercises as
prevention

Medications for
symptoms

Investigation of
supplements (fish oil,
etc.)
Amnesia Overview

Definition: Loss of memory

Temporary or permanent

Causes: injury, shock, fatigue, illness,
repression, or drugs
Amnesia in the Movies
Anterograde Amnesia

Occurs after an injury or trauma

Individual cannot form new memories of
new events

Implicit memory is preserved

Clive!!!
Anterograde Amnesia
Retrograde Amnesia

Inability to remember events before a
trauma or injury

May stretch from minutes to years

Typically worse for events right before
the trauma
Retrograde Amnesia
Aphasia

Definition: The loss of memory for words

Expressive/Motor: Loss of ability to
write/speak words
Receptive/Sensory: Loss of memory for
meaning of spoken, written words, or
symbols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aplTvE
Q6ew

Dissociative Amnesia

A time period in the past is forgotten
because it was traumatic or stressful
Fugue Amnesia

A person forgets his/her identity

Extremely rare

The person may wake up and suddenly
have no sense of who they are. He or she
looks in the mirror and sees a stranger. In
the wallet or purse the person may find
identification, but the name and birth date
on the driver's license seem meaningless.
Fugue Amnesia Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QajubDsCcrw
Dissociative Identity Disorder

A person has “multiple personalities”

They forget events that happen when
another personality is present
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder)

A reaction to a terrifying event where the
person suffers from intrusive memories

Caused by events of severe stress- war,
murder, disasters.

Most often seen in veterans
Specific Memory Failure
Memory Failure Overview
Forgetting
Distortion
AbsentMindedness
Bias
Transience
Misattribution
Blocking
Suggestibility
Intrusion
Persistence
Forgetting
Penny Exercise Answers
2. The words United States of
America
 5. The words One Cent
 6. The date (year) of the mint
 11. The right side of Lincoln’s face
 14. The Lincoln Memorial
 15. The words In God We Trust
 16. The word Liberty
 19. The words E Pluribus Unum

Penny Exercise
Encoding Failure

Represents a failure to encode.

The details of a penny are not that
important to us…absent-mindedness

Also, we think about what should be, not
what is.
Capital City Exercise

Name as many as you can without help.

Write the first few letters if you only
remember part of the word.

I will give you a hint.
What type of memory failure does
this exercise represent?
Interference

Proactive Interference- When an older
memory disrupts recall of a newer
memory.

Retroactive Interference- When a more
recent memory disrupts recall of an older
memory.
Repression vs. Retrieval Exercise
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Precious Stone: First
Fish: Second
State: Third
Insect: Second
Type of Music: First
Alcoholic Beverage:
Third
Color: Second
Military Title: Third
Article of Clothing:
First
Sport: Second
11. Musical Instrument:
First
12. Four-Footed Animal:
Third
13. Occupation: First
14. Weapon: Third
15. Furniture: Second
16. Type of Fuel: Second
17. Disease: First
18:Vegetable: Third
19. Type of Vehicle: Second
20. Body Part: First
Memory Construction

Have you ever had a strong, vivid memory
and later learned you were wrong (or
realized that what you remember could
not have happened)? If so, write it down.

Why do you think this occurred?

We will share our answers…
Constructs

A complex idea resulting from the
combination of simpler ideas

Not directly observable

Something built systematically

Constantly changing
Answer the following in groups:

What if the simpler ideas/experiences
from which we construct our memories
are not all accurate?

What does this mean for our identity?
War of the Ghosts

We slightly alter images, memories, and
ideas to fit into our own method of
understanding/remembering

Listen very carefully!
How/Why does our memory
transform material?
Accepted/conventional representations
- That couldn’t have been a wolf…it was a
dog
 Some features cannot be labeled until a
recognized form is produced
-If it doesn’t fit anything that we know/are
used to, we have trouble recognizing or
remembering it…chemistry anyone?

Bartlett’s Conclusions
After first recall, the general form or
outline stays the same
 Form and items become stereotyped and
then don’t change
 Story is rationalized (westernized)symbolization
 We simplify, omit, and transform images
into things we recognize

Misinformation Effect

Incorporating misleading information into
a memory.

Examples?
Eyewitness Testimony
Identify the bomber on the roof…
http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/~glwells/
theeyewitnesstest.html

Child Testimony

Imagine that you are a therapist or
attorney who needs to interview a child
about a possible case of abuse. Describe
the procedure that you would use to
ensure that the answers are as accurate
as possible.
Is Repression Real?

Our memories are anchored by context
cues…If we dig deep enough, we can
retrieve them.
Improving Memory Group Exercise

Develop a study plan for a student using
4-5 of the memory techniques in your
book.

Imagine that the student has a psychology
test approaching, and they want a
detailed plan of methods, techniques, and
examples that they can use to succeed on
this exam.