Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology of 97 recovered memories of child abuse are accurate, and whether or not the abuse was forgotten through repression or other psychological processes. Concern about the possibility of false memory leads many experts to urge caution in unconditionally accepting the validity of recovered memories. Flashbulb Memories- Retrieval cues activate information stored in long-term memory. Retrieval is more likely when we have multiple, self-generated, and distinctive cues. We experience flashbulb memories as vivid snapshots of events and are confident of their accuracy. Over time, flashbulb memories may become inaccurate. Overall, memory accuracy and confidence are weakly to moderately related. Confabulation- Confabulation is a memory disorder that causes people to have inaccurate memories. These inaccuracies may range from distortion of minor details, to complete fabrication of the entire memory. The disorder is known to be caused by brain damage, such as from an aneurysm, or by dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. People who confabulate are not lying, they have no intention to deceive, and they are not even aware that they are giving wrong information. Stages of Memory- Memory is typically divided into three types: sensory, short-term, and long-term, and involves three main processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Sensory- Sensory memory briefly holds incoming sensory information and is fleeting awareness of whatever the senses have detected. Some of this information reaches the short-term memory and long-term memory, where it is mentally represented by visual, phonological, semantic, or motor codes. Short-term- Short-term memory is also called working memory because it stores information that can be kept in the mind long enough to solve problems. Working memory processes a limited amount of information and supports other cognitive functions. It has phonological, visuospatial, episodic, and executive components. Long-term- Long-term memory stores large amounts of information for up to a lifetime. It is unlimited and perhaps acts as a permanent storehouse of memories. Memory Aids-Storing information is useless, without the ability to retrieve it. A retrieval cue is a stimulus, whether internal or external, that activates information stored in long-term memory. Encoding- Refers to getting information into the system by translating it into a neural code that the brain processes. This is a little like what happens when typing on a computer keyboard. Our ability to retrieve a memory is influenced, not only by the nature of the original stimulus, but also by environmental, physiological, and psychological factors. The encoding specificity principle states that memory is enhanced when the cues present during retrieval match the cues present during encoding. These cues may involve the same environment (context dependent memory) or same internal state (state dependent memory) present during original encoding. Rehearsal- According to the concept of levels of processing, the more deeply we process information, the better we remember it. Rehearsal goes beyond mere exposure. When we rehearse information, © 2015 Achieve Page 43