Lecture – Memory

Memory is a process, a storage (only one component of memory) with different other
components:

o Encoding: dynamic processing and conversion of information into memory

o Storage: static representation and retention of information in memory
o Retrieval: dynamic process of accessing information from memory

Short vs. long – term memory

On average people are capable of remembering 7+- 2 “bits’ of information.

Chunking: grouping multiple units of information into a single, meaningful unit.

Which items do people tend to remember? Usually, people remember better the first, and last
items within a sequence.

Primacy effect – tendance to remember to the initial items in a sequence.

Recency effect – tendence to remember the last items in a sequence

 Why brands are present at the end of an advertisement

Bias

Memory span is shorter for words that sound alike (works like a loop). Additionally, we have
a shorter memory span for longer words (word length effect).

Memory span is shorter when unattended speech occurs during learning (unattended speech
effect)

 Implication: avoid confusion by either giving a lot of visual content or speech (e.g., low
text amount on slides)
Unattended speech has an impact of language memory only (and not visual). This underlines
that there are two components: visual and phonetic.
Properties of STM (short-term memory)

o Duration is short (20 seconds)

o Capacity is limited (7+-2 items)
o First and last items are best remembered.
o Verbal (auditory) and visual memories are processed separately

How to improve memory

1. Expose: the first step in becoming to memorable brand is to enter STM via exposure
to the target segment. Mere exposure increases the “like” of something.

How is information passed from STM to LTM?

Rehearsal: repeated or extended experiences of the object or event.

2. Engage: the second step is to enter LTM by enticing the consumer to mentally engage
with the brand.

Memory consolidation is the process of converting a STM into a LTM.

Levels of processing

The probability of retrieving a memory is a function of its level of processing at the time of
encoding. Information can be processed at multiple levels.

o Shallow processing—attending to physical features (e.g., appearance)

o Deep processing—attending to semantic features (i.e., meaning)

Learning phase: FORD

o Physical encoding: Is the word in capital letters?

o

Acoustic encoding: Does the word rhyme with “cord”?

o Semantic encoding: Is the word a car brand?
o Self-reference encoding: Would you ever buy one?
Memories are consolidated during deep sleep:
o People who get more deep sleep have better memories
o Objects and events experienced shortly before sleep are more likely to be remembered

Reconsolidation is the process of strengthening a LTM by recalling it into active STM

Marketing implications? We want to remind people of our brands and slogans. This is mostly
effective if the process is spaced out in time.

 Reminders can fully restore memories and prevent forgetting.

According to Tulving (1973), remembering is most likely when the conditions under which
something is encoded (learned) and retrieved (remembered) are similar.

Abernathy (1940): learning and testing in either same or different room.

Implication for marketing? Advertisement within the stores, where customers make their
purchasing decisions or make the stores’ environment the same as the one in which customers
encoded the ad in the first place.