6. Sensory Memory
The initial, momentary storage of information, lasting
only an instant.The fleeting impressions of all sensory
input we experience: every sight, sound, smell, etc.
8. Short-Term Memory
Memory that holds information for about 15-25
seconds. Sensory memories might convert into short-
term memories if we assign meaning to them.
We can store about 7
“chunks” of information
in short-term memory
at any given time. (A
“chunk” is a meaningful
piece of information, like a
letter, number, word,
simple image, etc.)
14. Rehearsal
Information is able to remain longer in short-term
memory if rehearsal is practiced. Rehearsal is the
repetition or organization of information that has
entered the short-term memory.
Rehearsal also allows
us to transfer
information from
short-term memories
into long-term
memories!
15. Read this list of letters multiple times,
repeating the pattern, and try to recall them.
(See front screen)
16. Rehearsal
The type of rehearsal that is carried out greatly
impacts the mind’s ability to transfer information
from short-term to long-term memory…
Repetition
Repeating things over and over again keeps them
stored in short-term memory.
Elaborative
Rehearsal
This is when information is organized in some way:
for example, when you link it to another memory.
Mnemonics
These are formal techniques for organizing
information in a way that makes it more likely to
be remembered.
17. Elaborative Rehearsal
Organizing information allows it to pass from short-
term memory into long-term memory.
Technique #1:
Connect new information to
information that is already
stored in your memory.
Your goal:
Envision a location that you
know very well. Imagine that
the items I show you are
located in specific areas within
that location.
19. “While standing in a
field of purple flowers,
the cow ate a chocolate
cupcake.”
Elaborative Rehearsal
Organizing information allows it to pass from short-
term memory into long-term memory.
Technique #2:
Organize information in a
more meaningful or logical
way.
Your goal:
Use the words I give you to
create a story. Connect the
words together into a
coherent whole instead of
separate pieces.
21. Living Things:
Cow, Flower
+
Things I Eat:
Cow, Cupcake
Elaborative Rehearsal
Organizing information allows it to pass from short-
term memory into long-term memory.
Technique #3:
Organize information in a
more meaningful or logical
way.
Your goal:
This time, group the words
according to similar
characteristics, and give each
group a label.
22. Group the 12 words into categories, and
label the categories.
(See front screen)
23. Mnemonics
Formal techniques for organizing information…
Put the information is a song
Use the first letter of each item to form a word
Put the information in a rhyme
Associate the information with an image
24. “Working” Memory
Modern-day memory theorists like to call short-term
memory the “working memory” because it is like an
information processing system that manages both new
material gathered from sensory memory and older
material that has been pulled from long-term memory
storage. It is the
memory that actively
works to build
connections and
create meaning.
25. Long-Term Memory
Memory that stores information on a relatively
permanent basis, although it may be difficult to retrieve.
The reason we are able to
store long-term information is
because our brains create
semantic networks: clusters
of interconnected information.
The more connections our
brain makes between a piece
of information and other
pieces of information, the
more likely we are to
remember it.
26. Long-Term Memory
Long-term memory capacity is practically unlimited.
Memories are not located in a particular part of the
brain; rather, they are stored in many areas.
The amygdala is the emotional
center of the brain. (Recall that
scientists believe psychopaths
often have a malfunctioning
amygdala).Thus, this area of the
brain is involved in memory
storage when your memories
are connected to an emotion.
27. Long-Term Memory
There are separate systems in the brain related to
long-term memory…
Declarative Memory
Memory for factual information: names,
faces, dates, etc.
Procedural Memory
Memory for skills and habits, such as riding
a bike, writing, or kicking a ball.
Semantic Memory
Memory for general knowledge and facts about
the world, as well as memory for the rules and
logic that are used to deduce other facts.
Episodic Memory
Memory for events that occur in a
particular time, place, and context.
28. Memory Consolidation
The process of gradually converting short-term
memories into long-term memories.
1. The more connections we
make within the brain, the
stronger our stored
memories become.
2. The more often we recall
information (think about it)
the stronger our memories
become.
Pathways of neurons in the
brain fire when you think about
something.The more often you
think about it, the smoother
and faster those patterns of
neurons will fire in your brain.
29. Memory Reconsolidation
Each time you recall a memory, the memory changes.
Recall that memories are made through semantic
networks in the brain: clusters of interconnected
information. Each time you think of a memory, you are
adding new information to the network of information
already in place.
Your memories
are not stored like
files in a cabinet.
They are a web
of connections
that is always
being modified.
