Memory

Definitions
Atkinson Shiffrin Information Processing Theory
Forgetting & Interference
Amnesia
Improving Memory Techniques
• Attention - Capacity to selectively focus senses and
awareness on particular stimuli or aspects of the
environment .

Characteristics of Attention:
Attention has a limited capacity.
Attention is selective.

• In-attentional blindness: one doesn’t notice some significant

object or event that is in clear field of vision.
• In- attentional deafness: failing to hear an auditory message
when attention is elsewhere.
Stage Model of Memory Information is
transferred from one memory stage to
another

Sensory Memory Registers a great deal of

information from environment for a very
brief period.
Short-term Memory Temporarily holds all
the information you are currently thinking
about or consciously aware of.
Long-term Memory Long-term storage of
information, potentially for a lifetime.
Atkinson Shiffrin Information Processing
Theory

“Information which is more thoroughly connected to meaningful items

in Long-term Memory, is deeply processed and remembered better”.
• Explicit memory (declarative memory) is memory with awareness -
Information or knowledge that can be consciously recollected
Example: What you did on New Year’s Eve
Two types of explicit memory
• Episodic information— information about events or “episodes”
• Semantic information— information about facts, general
knowledge, school work

• Implicit memory (non-declarative memory) is memory without

awareness - Information or knowledge that affects behavior or task
performance but cannot be consciously recollected
• Example: How to type on a keyboard
• Procedural information — information about motor skills and
action
• Why Do We Forget?

The inability to recall specific

information because of insufficient
encoding of the information for
storage in long-term memory is called
forgetting.
Memory Techniques