Memory Episodic Memory & Other Issues
Class Website www.psych.neu.edu/coley/psyu466/psyu466.html
Outline • Episodic v Semantic Memory • Encoding Specificity • Schemas & Scripts • Implicit Memory & Subception • Content Knowledge
Model of Memory Sensory Memory Short-term Working Memory Long-term Memory
Model of Memory F I L T E R Sensory Memory Short-term Working Memory Long-term Memory
Model of Memory Visual F I L T E R Central Exec. Sensory Memory Long-term Memory Auditory
Model of Memory Semantic Memory Visual F I L T E R Central Exec. Sensory Memory Episodic Memory Procedural Memory Auditory
Semantic & Episodic Memory • What evidence would show that Semantic and Episodic Memory are distinct and independent systems? • Amnesia • One memory system damaged. • One memory system intact.
PET Scan
Encoding Specificity • Memory retrieval is enhanced under conditions similar to the conditions at encoding. • Roediger & Payne (1983) • Homographs (squash) • Studied as “Sports” or “Vegetables” • Sports: Soccer, Squash, Basketball… • Vegetables: Potatoes, Squash, Carrots…
Encoding Specificity Free Recall Squash? Congruous Recall Sports? Squash? Sports Soccer Squash Basketball … Incongruous Recall Vegetables? Squash?
Encoding Specificity
Model of Memory Semantic Memory Visual F I L T E R Central Exec. Sensory Memory Episodic Memory Procedural Memory Auditory
Schemas • Large unit of representation that organizes relations among concepts, situations, events, and/or actions in memory. • Jane heard the jingling of the ice cream truck. She ran to get her piggy bank and started to shake it. Finally some money came out.
Schemas • How old is Jane • Why did she get the money? • Did she turn her piggy bank upside down? • Did bills come out? • How big was the piggy bank? • Where was the piggy bank located?
Scripts • Script: “A knowledge structure containing the sequence of events that usually occurs in a particular common situation.” • Going to the Dentist • Going to a Restaurant • Taking an Exam
Schemas & Scripts: Implications • Integration: Info from specific events combined with general knowledge • Experience shapes scripts • Scripts guide recall • Advantages & Disadvantages • Implications for Episodic-Semantic distinction?
Model of Memory Semantic Memory Visual F I L T E R Central Exec. Sensory Memory Episodic Memory Procedural Memory Auditory
Right Ear: Essay, asked to shadow Left Ear: Homophone word pairs (son/sun) First word biased the interpretation (youngest/rising) “rising sun… taxi fare…” Implicit Memory
Implicit Memory • Asked to • Summarize essay • Recognition test for shadowed words/homophones • Oral spelling test including homophones • “sun… fare…” • Spelling primed w/o subject awareness
Model of Memory Semantic Memory Visual F I L T E R Central Exec. Sensory Memory Episodic Memory Procedural Memory Auditory
Subception • Greenwald et al. (1991) • Subliminal learning, self-help, etc. • Used 2 commercially available tapes • Memory, Self Esteem • Design • Pretest: Mem, S-E • Given a tape, listened daily for month • Posttest: Mem, S-E, Self ratings on Improvement
Greenwald et al., Design
Greenwald et al., Results • Self-improvement ratings corresponded to tape label. • Test scores improved on both measures. • Improvement unrelated to content of tapes.
Memory & Content Knowledge • Chi (1978) • Child chess experts • Adult chess novices • Memory for • Chess positions • Digit span
Long Term Memory: Summary • Semantic Memory • Hierarchical Networks • Spreading Activation • Episodic Memory • Classic Effects (primacy, recency, etc.) • Eyewitness Testimony • Schemas/Scripts • Integrate general knowledge and specific events. • Separate Semantic & Episodic Systems?
