Human Memory As An Information Processing System

Submitted By orrion97
Words: 5052
Pages: 21
Open Document
I. Human Memory as an Information Processing System
a. Memory Encoding: Taking in Information
i. We perceive the world around us through our senses. This information become part of our memory through memory encoding, a process of converting information into a form that can be stored in memory. ii. Encoding take many forms. There is acoustical (coding by sound), visual (coding by forming a mental image), and semantically (coding by meaning; sounds and visuals made into words).
1. Visual coding typically goes away faster than auditory coding making it less proficient for remembering.
b. Memory Storage: Retaining Information in Memory
i. Memory storage is the process of keeping information in memory.
c. Memory Retrieval: Accessing Stored Information
i. Memory retrieval is the process of retrieving and taking into one’s consciousness information stored in memory ii. The ability to retrieve certain memories is dependent on the accessibility of retrieval cues, cues associated with the original learning that facilitate the retrieval memories. iii. Encoding specificity principle-The belief that retrieval will be more fruitful when cues available during the time of recall are similar to those that were there when the information was first encoded. iv. Context-dependent memory effect-The propensity for information to be better recollected in the same context in which it was first learned.
1. Duncan Godden and Alan Baddeley performed an experiment demonstrating this effect. Two swim club teams were tasked with learning a list of words, one team learned them on a beach, while the other learned them submerged in water. Each group was better able to remember the words when they were at the same location where they had originally learned the words
v. State-dependent memory effect-The propensity for information to be better recalled when an individual is in the same psychological or physiological state as when the information was originally learned.
1. Schramke and Bauer demonstrated this effect when they had a group of subjects either rest or exercise after having just learned a list of words. They discovered that recall of these words was better when the subjects were doing that which they had done when having first learned the words (i.e. either resting or excercising).
II. Memory Stages
a. The three-stage model proposes three distinct stages of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
b. Sensory Memory
i. Sensory memory is the storage system that contains memory of sensory stimuli for a short amount of time. ii. Sensory information is frequently stimulates sensory receptors which create impressions on one’s sensory memory for a short amount of time. The sensory register is responsible for containing these sensory memories. The information can last for as long as three to four seconds. iii. Visual stimuli is held for a fraction of a second in our iconic memory which is a sensory store for holding a mental representation of said stimuli.
1. Despite the clarity of the visual images held in iconic memory, psychologist George Sperling showed that more of the iconic image is stored than we are actually able to report. He showed people three rows of letter then asked them to recall what they were (full report technique). They could report only four. This led to him developing the partial-report technique. iv. Eidetic memory is a lingering mental representation of a visual image (commonly referred to as photographic memory)
v. Auditory stimuli is held within our echoic memory, a sensory store for holding mental representation of aforementioned stimuli for a few seconds after it has been heard.
c. Short-Term, or Working, Memory
i. Much of our sensory impressions are moved to our short-term memory (STM). STM is the memory subsystem that enables the retaining and processing of newly obtained information for a maximum of around thirty seconds.
1. In the 1950s, psychologist George Miller conducted multiple studies in
Show More

Related Documents: Human Memory As An Information Processing System

Psychology Outline

Rachel Carpenter Chapter 1 Outline December 27th, 2015 I. Psychology Is A Way of Thinking a. As you go farther in to the field of Psychology you can anticipate to learn more about things like cognition, research about the brain, social behavior, child development and clinical disorders. b. Psychologists are empiricists, meaning one's conclusions are based on systematic observations. They will conduct studies on humans or animals in either a specific environment or in their natural environment.…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Essay on Marijuana Is The Most Commonly Abused

marijuana irritates the lungs, increases acute chest illnesses and lung infections, affects heart activity, is highly addictive, and can affect normal brain function so that the benefits of marijuana do not outweigh the health risks it poses. Outline I. Thesis: However, despite the “high” and the relief from pain that cannabis facilitates, strict regulations should be in place against its legalization as smoking marijuana irritates the lungs, increases acute chest illnesses and lung infections…

Words 352 - Pages 2

Essay Catherine Malasa

With the rise of computer science and artificial intelligence, analogies were drawn between the processing of information by humans and information processing by machines. Research in cognition had proven practical since World War II, when it aided in the understanding of weapons operation.[47] By the late 20th century, though, cognitivism had become the dominant paradigm of psychology, and cognitive psychology emerged as a popular branch…

Words 2299 - Pages 10

Outline Of Vygotsky's Theories Of Cognitive Development

Outline of Vygotsky's theories: children construct their knowledge, development cannot be separated from its social context, learning can lead development and language plays a central role in mental development (Demendonca, 2016). Vygotsky's theory stresses the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition. Vygotsky places considerable emphasis on culture affecting cognitive development, on…

Words 534 - Pages 3

Essay on Positive Psychology: A Brief History, Critics, Methodology, and Application

Running Head: APPLICATIONS OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 3 Positive Psychology: A Brief History, Methodology, and Application 1. Introduction 1.1. A Brief History The genealogy of positive psychology established its roots in the development of humanistic psychology in the mid-20th century. The more traditional approaches of modern psychology as developed by Freud and B. F. Skinner, respectively, are psychoanalysis, and behaviorism. One theory may suggest that…

Words 1448 - Pages 6

Essay On Analysis Methods

My Reflection on Application of Analytic Methods Course The nursing profession of today’s world has called for the elevation of the advanced nursing education to a higher degree for a better patient outcome (Cronenwett, et al., 2011), and in 2004, the American association of college s of nursing (ANCN) gave approval for the training of all advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) in the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program (Potempa, 2011). In reference to the APRN approval for a higher…

Words 629 - Pages 3

The History Of Psychology

Inquiry to Understanding (2nd Ed). Toronto: Pearson Canada. * This lecture guide is a textual outline. It is meant to help you with your own note taking. They are not meant as a replacement for course attendance and active participation! The exact order and depth of coverage of the topics outlined in each guide is subject to change, without notice, in order to best meet students' needs. Check the course outline and Blackboard regularly for announcements and information on upcoming exams, assignments…

Words 1154 - Pages 5

How Many Different Types of Memory System Are There? Illustrate Your Answer with Examples of the Kinds of Information Which Each System Stores Essay

Although the belief that memory is composed of several distinct systems is not novel, it is only around the mid 20th century that experimental studies carried out on amnesic patients have started to confirm it (Squire, 2004). This essay will discuss the different types of memory systems that have been found, their distinctions and evidence supporting their existence derived from studies on amnesiacs. Atkinson and Shiffrin’s (1968) multi-store model suggests that memory is a flow of information…

Words 1548 - Pages 7

MGT470 CV Syllabus Essay

MGT470: Conflict and Management Negotiation Credit Hours: Contact Hours: 3 This is a 3-credit course, offered in accelerated format. This means that 16 weeks of material is covered in 8 weeks. The exact number of hours per week that you can expect to spend on each course will vary based upon the weekly coursework, as well as your study style and preferences. You should plan to spend 10-25 hours per week in each course reading material, interacting on the discussion boards, writing papers, completing…

Words 3673 - Pages 15

Biological Naturalism And Perception

fortify the argument for Biological Naturalism. Concluding, that neither of these theories adequately deciphers reality in relation to the mind through an understanding of mental perception. Two scientific approaches aimed at understanding mental cognition, the building-block approach and the unified-field approach, will be discussed to facilitate a better understanding of conscious states and how they shape our perception. John Searle’s theory of Biological Naturalism promotes the neuronal link between…

Words 2538 - Pages 11