MEMORY

ARUNDHATHY G
Memory
“Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experiences in order to use
this information in the present.” (Sternberg, 1999)

“Memory is the process of maintaining information over time” (Matlin,2005)

WHAT IS MEMORY?
Memory is an active system that receives information from the senses, puts
that information into a usable form, organizes it as it stores it away, and then
retrieves the information from storage (adapted from Baddeley, 1996, 2003)

Three processes involved in memory:

 Encoding

 Storage

 Retrieval
Information processing model
 Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

 Three stages of memory systems

 Sensory memory
 Short term memory
 Long term memory
Information processing model
Levels of Processing theory
 Craik and Lockhart (1972)

 Ability to remember depends on the depths of processing

 Shallow level and Deep level Processing

 Study by Craik and Tulving (1975) showed that participants who memorise a
list of words semantically were able to recall the words more efficiently than
those who memorized merely using the sounds of the words.
Working Memory Model
 Baddeley and Hitch (1974)

 STM was replaced by working memory; which comprised of

 Visuospatial Sketchpad
 Articulatory Phonological Loop
 Central executive
Neurological basis of memory
 Memory can be studied using brain imaging, PET,

 Cerebellum also seems to play a key role in memory for classically

conditioned responses and contributes to many cognitive tasks in general
 The amygdala is involved in memory consolidation, especially where
emotional experience is involved
 At the micro-level structure, repeated stimulation leads to strengthened
neural pathways( long-term potentiation)
Role of neurotransmitters
 Neurotransmitters can both enhance and disrupt memory storage

 Serotonin and Acetylcholine are shown to enhance neural transmission involved in

memory
Sleep and memory consolidation
 The amount of REM sleep is an essential component of memory consolidation

 Disorders such as insomnia affects the quality of memory

Mnemonics
 Categorical Clustering – Organizing set of information into categories

 Interactive images- Create interactive images to add isolated words into the list

 Peg word method- Associate each new word with a word on a previously
memorized list and form an interactive image between the two words
 Method of Loci- Visualize walking around an area with distinctive landmarks
that you know well, and then link the various landmarks to specific items to be
remembered
 Acronyms- Creating a word or expression with letters that stand for words in the
list
Forgetting and memory distortion
 Interference theory- forgetting occurs because recall of certain words
interferes with recall of other words.
 Serial position curve- represents the probability of recollection of words, given
their serial position (primacy and recency effect)
 Decay theory- Decay theory asserts that information is forgotten because of
the gradual disappearance, rather than displacement, of the memory trace
Memory and Sports
 Elite athletes are seen to have superior cognitive processes and capacities
than novice athletes
 Athletes with higher working memory capacity were better at maintaining
attention and avoiding distraction, which are essential cognitive abilities in
sports
 Working memory is required for more thoughtful, creative actions than
reflexive actions
 Performance pressure interferes with working memory which can affect
optimal performance
Increasing effectiveness of
memory
 Rehearsal

 Meaningfulness

 Association

 Avoiding overload

 Organize information

 Mental imagery