cognition and behaviour

• what is short term memory used for?

  to retain information for a short period of time - seconds or minutes
• short term memory is a temporary store
• what is long term memory used for?

  retaim information for a long period of time
• long term memory is a long lasting or permanent store
• how long is short term memory duration?

  up to 30 seconds
• what happens to the information in short term memory store?

  we tend to forget it in 30 seconds or fewer unless we take action to retain it
• what is an example of retaining information?

  writing information down
• how long is long term memory duration?

  unlimited
• long term memory is subject to forgetting
• is short term memory capacity limited or unlimited?

  limited
• how many items can we hold in short term memory at one time?

  around 7 items
• is long term memory capacity unlimited or limited?

  unlimited
• a persons long term memory never gets full
• what is one way new memories can be formed?

  new experiences
• how do new experiences form new memories?

  experiencing something new can cause it to enter short term memory and can be retained in long term memory

  this commonly happens when information is familiar, distinctive, and easy to understand
• why is it sometimes hard to remember things?

  the information is unfamiliar, not distinct and hard to understand
• how can you help form memories?

  • repetition
  • sleep
  • retrieving things from memory after a delay
• repetition only helps in forming a memory if the information is understood
• even meaningless information can be taken into short term memory, but it will be rapidly forgotten
• what is the key to forming new memories?

  linking them to what is already known
• short term memory is temporary store
• long term memory is permanent store
• we cant retain things in short term memory for very long
• what is information overload?

  information is forgotten because it was too much to process
• why is information forgotten in short term memory overload?

  Limited capacity
• information can be forgotten from short term memory due to the passage of time
• how can you hold information in short term memory for longer?

  rehearsing it
• how can long term memory be forgotten?

  • interference
  • distorted
  • brain damage
• what happens with long term memory interference?

  similar items get mixed up
• what happens when long term memory information is distorted?

  people add or change information from long term memory when they try to remember it
• information and skills can also be forgotten from long term memory due to brain damage
• what is information overload?

  where information is forgotten because it was too much to process
• what memory store does information overload happen?

  short term memory
• the hippocampus helps to consolidate new long term memories
• what happens when the hippocampus is damaged?


  people many find it impossible to form new long term memories
• the frontal lobe is important for short term memory
• forgotten things that are still stored in long term memory can help to be remembered by a cue
• what is a cue?


  a cue means anything that can help remind people
• example of cue


  first letter of a word
• what part of the brain is this?

  frontal lobe