Memory: Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Memory: Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Memory: Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Memory
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
Sensory Memory
• Storing an exact copy of incoming information for a few
seconds; the first stage of memory
– Icon: A fleeting mental image or visual representation
– Echo: After a sound is heard, a brief continuation of
the sound in the auditory system
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
Figure 7.7
George Sperling (1960) flashed arrays like this on a screen for 50
milliseconds. After the display went off, a signal told the viewer which row to
recite.
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
1. Sofa
2. Sleep
3. Lamp
4. Kitchen
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.4 A hypothetical network of facts about animals shows what is meant by the
structure of memory. Small networks of ideas such as this are probably organized into larger
and larger units and higher levels of meaning.
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
Implicit Vs Explicit
• Implicit memories are usually non-conscious and not
verbally articulated. Implicit memories are often
procedural and focused on the step-by-step processes
that must be performed in order to complete a task.
• Examples of Implicit Memory
Some examples of implicit memory include singing a
familiar song, typing on your computer keyboard, and
brushing your teeth. Riding a bike is another example.
Even after going years without riding one, most people
are able to hop on a bike and ride it effortlessly.
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
Explicit Memory
• When you're trying to intentionally remember
something (like a formula for your statistics class
or a list of dates for your history class), this
information is stored in your explicit memory.
People use these memories every day, from
remembering information for a test to recalling
the date and time of a doctor's appointment.
• Explicit memory is also known as declarative
memory since you can consciously recall and
explain the information.
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.5 The tower puzzle. In this puzzle, all the colored disks must be moved to another
post, without ever placing a larger disk on a smaller one. Only one disk may be moved at a time,
and a disk must always be moved from one post to another (it cannot be held aside). An amnesic
patient learned to solve the puzzle in 31 moves, the minimum possible. Even so, each time he
began, he protested that he did not remember ever solving the puzzle before and that he did not
know how to begin. Evidence like this suggests that skill memory is distinct from fact memory.
LINK
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7
Measuring Memory
• Tip-of-the Tongue (TOT): Feeling that a memory is
available but not quite retrievable
• Feeling of Knowing: Feeling that allows people to predict
beforehand if they will be able to remember something
(typically seen on game shows like Jeopardy)
• Recall: Supply or reproduce facts or information with
some external cues; direct retrieval of facts or
information
– Hardest to recall items in the middle of a list; known
as Serial Position Effect
– Easiest to remember last items in a list because they
are still in STM
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Figure 7.7 Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.7 The serial position effect. The graph shows the percentage of subjects correctly
recalling each item in a 15-item list. Recall is best for the first and last items.
Psychology: A Journey, Second Edition, Dennis Coon
Chapter 7