3 Steps To Memorization

MEMORY AP Psychology 5: Memory Memory is not like a container that gradually fills up; it is more like a tree growing branches upon which memories hang. — The Brain Book memory the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information parallel processing the ability to process multiple stimuli at the same time 3 steps to memorization 1. Encoding - information gets into our brains in a way it can be stored 2. Storage - information stored in a way it can be retrieved 3. Retrieval - recalling the information and producing it in a way that was similar to what was encoded 3 lengths of memory (and how long they last) 1. Sensory memory - stimulus recorded for 1-2 seconds 2. Short-term memory - stored for <1 minute, up to 7 bits a. similar to working memory, which is like active short-term memory 3. Long-term memory - stored for days, months, years a. so far, limit to how much we can memorize has not been found in order for something to be memorized long-term, your mind should care ex. I don’t know the names of the characters in Cheers because I don’t care, even though I spent multiple hours hearing their names and interactions every time you learn something new, neural connections in the brain change to form and strengthen pathways echoic memory a sensory memory, specifically auditory, that lasts 3-4 seconds iconic memory a visual memory or sensory stimuli that is stored for no more than a few tenths of a second 2 types of memory retrieval Recall - a measure of memory where you must remember what was previously learned ex. fill-in-the-blank → you have to come up with the answer from scratch Recognition - a measure of memory where you must make the connection between things you have already learned ex. multiple choice test → the answer is always in front of you effortful vs automatic processing explicit memories memories of facts or experiences that one consciously knows that require effortful processing to encode implicit memories memories that have been automatically and subconsciously encoded Strategies for Better Memorization 5 strategies for memorization mnemonics memoy aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices ex. the guy who turns letters and numbers into symbols into his head, which he then pictures in his house interacting with his furniture spacing effect the tendency for distributed studying helps us form long-term memories better than cramming hierarchies sorting infomrationn into a few broad topics that contain subpoints, like how a textbook is written with headers and sub-headers chunking breaking information into manageable chunks or units to make them easier to encode works better to assemble into meaningful groups ex. finding acronyms in a string of letters helps us recall the strings of letters this explains why making connections between new learnings helps us learn new things retrieval practice/testing effect make flashcards and make associations between things brain dump → put away study materials and try to write or sketch everything you know Ebbinghaus showed that remembering things that connect to us personally is 10x easier than remembering nonsense information elaborative encoding process of actively relating new information to prior knowledge make connections to things specific to you dual coding visualization of new information benefits memory, or processing it through multiple senses context-dependent memory we retrieve a memory more easily when in the same environment as when we formed the memory state-dependent memory we retrieve a memory more easily when in the same emotional state as when we formed the memory serial position effect we are more likely to remember the first and last items in a list How Memory Fails “Forgetting is not so much a matter of the decay of old impressions an association sas it is a matter of interference, inhibition, or obliteration of hte old by the new.” misinformation effect incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event retrival failure effects old people more than young people, and is when the answer is on the tip-of-the-tongue Memory is self-serving, and Freud says this is repression Ross. et al., 1981. Researchers told subjects about the benefits of brushing your teeth. Those subjects then recalled brushing their teeth more in the past two weeks than the control group, who had not seen the lecture, showing that memory is a selfserving historian. repression according to Freud, it’s a basic defense mechanism to push away anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories *But like with most things, Freud was wrong, and repression almost never, maybe actually never, happens 2 types of interference retroactive interference the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information proactive interference the disruptive effect of old information on the recall of new learning 4 types of amnesia anterograde amnesia an inability to form new memories retrograde amnesia an inability to retrieve information from one’s past people with amnesia can still learn new things through classical conditioning, but they can’t be aware that they’re learning it. source amnesia misremembering information from another source as memory ex. I remember people driving a car the speed of light and travelling to another dimension, but like, that didn’t happen!? (Bonzai Buckaroo) infantile amnesia memories before age 3 are almost always constructions Memory Storage & Retrieval priming triggering an association that subconsciously tells your mind the answer to an upcoming question flashbulb memory a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event but they’re often wrong memory is stored as a web of associations 1. conceptual 2. contextual 3. emotional hippocampus stores explicit memories until they are stored in other parts of the brain left hippocampus stores verbal information right hippocampus stores visual designs and locations during sleep, memories move out of the hippocampus to the frontal cortex cerebellum is crucial to form and store implicit memories cerebellum is taught during classical conditioning basal ganglia helps us learn and retain automatic skills, such as walking or riding a bike