Memory 263
- Rather than improving memory retrieval, hypnosis makes the
creation of false memories more likely.
- False-memory syndrome is the creation of false or inaccurate
memories through suggestion, especially while hypnotized.
- Pezdek and colleagues assert that false memories are more likely
to be formed for plausible false events than for implausible ones.
What Were We Talking About? Forgetting
- 10 Describe the “curve of forgetting.”
- Ebbinghaus found that information is mostly lost within 1 hour
after learning and then gradually fades away. This is known as
the curve of forgetting.
- 11 Identify some common reasons people forget
things.
- Some “forgetting” is actually a failure to encode information.
- Memory trace decay theory assumes the presence of a physical
memory trace that decays with disuse over time.
- Forgetting in LTM is most likely due to proactive or retroactive
interference.
Neuroscience of Memory
- 12 Explain the biological bases of memory in the
brain.
- Evidence suggests that nondeclarative memories are stored in
the cerebellum, whereas short-term memories are stored in the
prefrontal and temporal lobes of the cortex.
- Semantic and episodic memories may be stored in the frontal
and temporal lobes as well but in different locations than short-
term memory, whereas memory for fear of objects is most likely
stored in the amygdala.
- Consolidation consists of the physical changes in neurons that
take place during the formation of a memory.
- The hippocampus appears to be responsible for the formation of
new long-term declarative memories. If it is removed, the ability
to store anything new is completely lost.
6. 13 Identify the biological causes of amnesia.
- In retrograde amnesia, memory for the past (prior to the injury)
is lost, which can be a loss of only minutes or a loss of several
years.
- ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy, can disrupt consolidation and
cause retrograde amnesia.
- In anterograde amnesia, memory for anything new becomes
impossible, although old memories may still be retrievable.
- The primary memory difficulty in Alzheimer ’s disease is
anterograde amnesia, although retrograde amnesia can also
occur as the disease progresses.
- Alzheimer ’s disease has multiple causes, many of which are not
yet identified.
- There are various drugs in use or in development for use, with
the hopes of slowing, or possibly in the future halting, the pro-
gression of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Most people cannot remember events that occurred before age 2
or 3. This is called infantile amnesia and is most likely due to the
implicit nature of infant memory.
Physical Exercises for Better Cognitive Health Applying Psychology to Everyday Life: Mental and
Memory
- 14 Explain how sleep, exercise, and diet affect
memory.
- Good nutrition, physical exercise, and adequate sleep contribute
to memory functions.
- Research results suggest diets high in omega-3s, and especially
DHA, may help hippocampal cells communicate better, whereas
norepinephrine release during physical exercise appears to
strengthen memories. Sleep is a critical component, both in
the consolidation of memories and normal functioning of the
hippocampus.
Test Yourself
- The steps to memory can best be described as follows:
a. finding it, using it, storing it, using it again
b. putting it in, keeping it in, getting it out
c. sensing it, perceiving it, remembering it, forgetting it
d. a series of passive data files
- According to Sperling, what is the capacity of iconic memory?
a. Everything that can be seen at one time.
b. Everything that can be heard in 1 minute.
c. Everything that can be sensed in 1 second.
d. Everything that can be perceived in a lifetime.
3. Which type of memory system best explains the “What?”
phenomenon?
a. iconic sensory system
b. echoic sensory system
c. short-term memory system
d. tactile sensory system
- For information to travel from either the iconic or echoic sensory
system to short-term memory, it must first be __ and
then encoded primarily into ___ form.
a. unconsciously chosen; auditory
b. selectively attended to; visual
c. biologically chosen; visual
d. selectively attended to; auditory
