Memory

• Memory


  The processes of information flowing through a system
• Processes of Memory


  1. Information is first detected by the senses

  2. The information is stored away for later use

  3. The information is retrieved when needed
• Cognitive psychologists


  The type of psychologists who explain how information flows through mental systems
• Encoding (input)

  Changing the form of information as it is stored in the brain so it can be retrieved
• Types of Encoding


  • Visual (stored as mental imagery)
  • Acoustic (stored as an inner voice)
  • Semantic (stored as information in the form of meaning)
• Storage


  How we hold memories in the physical neural structure of the brain
• The brain is made of neurons
• Retrieval (output)


  The process of bringing information back from the brain's storage so it can be used
• Memory


  A process of information flowing through a system
• Cognitive psychologists


  • Explain how information flows in mental systems
• Encoding


  Changing the form of information as it comes in so it can be stored in the brain
• Types of encoding


  • Mental imagery (visual)
  • Acoustic (voice)
  • Semantic (meaning)
• Short-term memory


  Holds information you pay attention to, lasts about 18 seconds
• Maintenance rehearsal


  Repeating information in short-term memory
• Elaborative rehearsal


  Giving meaning to information in short-term memory
• Types of long-term memory

  • Episodic (personal experiences)
  • Semantic (facts and meanings)
  • Procedural (skills)
• Episodic and semantic memories use different brain regions, suggesting they are separate processes
• HM lost ability to form new episodic and semantic memories but not procedural memories after surgery
• Memories are often complex combinations of different memory types