Memory chapter in Psychology. Memory improving strategies. Memory in everyday life

1. Dr. Anamika Rai
(Assistant Professor)
Department of Applied Psychology,
Shyama Prasad Mukherji College,
University of Delhi
MEMORY

2. Nature of memory
Stages of memory
Types of memory
Forgetting
Strategies for enhancing memory

3. Test your memory
Eg.
– Name of your primary school (class 1 - 5)
– When did you see the rising sun last time
– What you had in dinner 3 days back
– What was in break fast today morning
– Memories related to favourite cartoon character
– Do you remember your 5th grade classteacher's name
– Favorite nursery rhyme

4. What is memory?
cognitive process
stores
information
retrieve
information
helps in remebering
past experiences
retaining new
informations
thinking and
problem solving
planning for future

5. Learning and memory are closely related.
Memory can be defined as a process of storing the outcomes of learning in the form
of information that can be retrieved when required.
Three ways of measuring retention
1. Recognition (earlier seen or learned information, eg. class V friends faces, table of
5 or 6).
2. Recall (bringing information that is previously remebered, eg. friends name)
3. Relearning (Learnng and processing information quickly when it is studied again
after it has already been learned but then forgotten, eg. french course vocabulary or
computer shortcut keys)

6. Sensory memory (SM)
ICONIC: known as visual sensory memory (George Sperling, 1960). It lasts only for 1/2 - 1
second.
ECHOIC: known as auditory sensory memory, concerned with sounds. It lasts 3 - 4 seconds.
Short-term memory (STM)
It holds relatively small amounts of information for brief periods of time, usually 30
seconds or less. It involves active processing of information - 'information holding
area' - working memory. With attention and active rehearsal the information gets
stored in the long-term memory (LTM).
Long-term memory
It refers to the memory system for the retention of large amounts of information for
longer period of time. Store house of old memories, meaningful information and
experiences with connection.
Stages of Memory

7. Activity 1 - Iconic memory
See the image and try to remember the figures.

8. Activity 1 - Now try to recall them
all

9. Now try to recall them all
Random/
free recall
Sequential Chunking
(grouping)
New words
glass
flag
tree
7
pencil
map
flag
hand
cat
bell
cup
apple
flower.....
Apple flower cat bell
cup
bread glass hand
rugbyball truck
white board sandwich
ballons gift parrot
magnifiying glass dog
pencil 7 tree
flag trumpet world map
bicycle notebook
{Whiteboard,
pencil, notebook}
Stationery items
{cat, dog, tree,
parrot} living things
{truck, bicycle}
vehicles
possibility of
adding new words
out of the listed
ones

10. Activit 2
Echoic memory & Magical Number
428
1463
57492
608135
1847926
35017429
273968145
5481934654
George A. Miller - Magical number 2+ - 7
STM has a capacity to hold about 5 to 9 units (the “magic
number” 7 ± 2) of information at one go. If the number
of units goes higher, new information displaces or writes
over the existing units.
Known as Woking of STM - Working memory

11. Stages of Memory Model
source - https://images.app.goo.gl/vJT3t6ovCkhh51Mu5

12. Types of memory
Declarative - explicit in nature which person learns consciously.
Factual knowledge + memories of past events (learning calculations,
14 Nov childrens' day, birth date and year, APJ A. Kalam)
Semantic - deals with knowledge, meaning and generalized
experiences (words, ideas, concepts, etc)
Episodic - experiences which are personal to an individual and
accissble only by the person (biographical events, feelings and
emotions attached)
Procedural - memory for actions, skills or ways of doing certain
things or performing certain activities. (learning swimming, riding
bicycle, playing piano, singing, etc
Long Term Memory
(LTM)
Declarative memory
(explicit - conscious)
Episodic Semantic
Procedural memory
(implicit -
unconscious)

13. Forgetting
Forgetting is inability to recall or recognize a seen object or retrieve learned information
when needed.
Causes of forgetting
Decay
• Due to lack of attention
or rehersal, memories
fade over time.
Interference
• People forget information
because of interference
from other learned
information.
• Proactive interference
(newer learning may
disrupt older memories)
• Retroactive interference
(newer learning may
disrupt older memories)
Levels of Processing
• learning and
understanding
information at a deeper
level or neglect it and
attend at a surface level

14. Strategies for enhancing memory
Deep Processing : Learn information in a meaningful way and try to relate it with
the already existing information. The depth of processing also means the rehearsal
of material to be remembered. Greater the rehearsal, more the chances of
recalling the material later.
Distributed practice : Learning material using distributed practice in which there is
a gap between trials. Take rest after a period of study. Breaking the learning
material into small sections. eg. Syllabus Vs Chapter.
Visualize : Brains does not know the difference between what is real and what we
imagine. Mentally "visualizing" information can also help tremendously. eg.
Imagine that in class test you are writing all the stages of memory.

15. Strategies continued .....
Chunking - Chunking is essentially just breaking up a long stream of information into
manageable "chunks." eg. 1-9-2-0-5-8-8-3-2-0-2-1-8-9-9-3
1920, 5883, 2021, ....
Elaborate on material - Thinking about something (a concept or idea) and add
meaning to it by relating it to other things you know about, helps you remember it
better. eg. 5*5 = 25, addition of 5 times 5 = 25
Mnemonics - Mnemonics devices are memory aids that help us organize information
for encoding. Eg MVEMJSUNP

16. Strategies continued .....
Sleep or power nap - While you are sleeping, your brain is still at work. During
sleep the brain organizes and consolidates information to be stored in long-term
memory (Abel & Bäuml, 2013).
Minimize interference - To reduce the likelihood of interference, study during a
quiet time without interruptions or distractions (like television or music).