Ch 6

• Memory is crucial in our lives as it defines us, helps us manage everyday tasks, and allows us to build our future based on past experiences
• Memory involves processing vast amounts of information in various forms such as images, sounds, or meanings
• There are four types of memory: semantic memory, episodic memory, procedural memory, and meta memory
• Semantic memory deals with general world knowledge accumulated throughout life
• Episodic memory is personal experiences that occurred at a specific time and place
• Procedural memory involves memory for actions or ways of doing things, like motor skills
• Meta memory is memory for our own memory capacities and strategies
• Forgetting can occur due to decay, interference, or repression
• Decay theory suggests that memory traces fade away if not used, but it has limitations
• Interference theory states that memories are lost due to interference from newly learned information
• There are two types of interference: retroactive interference and proactive interference
• Strategies for enhancing memory include deep processing, attending carefully, minimizing interference, distributed practice, using memory aids, and developing shorthand codes
• Repression is a defense mechanism where threatening or painful memories are pushed into the unconscious mind
• Repressed memories may cause psychological problems and amnesia refers to memory loss due to various causes