MEMORY

BS(CS) 3rd
Semester
 Scope of this Week
o Introduction to Memory
o Memory Processing
o Memory Model
o Forgetting
o Improving Memory
 Memory
Memory... is the diary that we all carry
with us. 
~Oscar Wilde

o Storing of learned information

o The ability to recall what has been
stored
o Allows us to retrieve events from the
distant past or from moments ago
o Enables us to learn new skills and to
form habits
 Memory…cont
o Without memory life would be a series of
disconnected experiences, each one new
and unfamiliar
o Human memory is like computer’s
memory, we store and later we retrieve
o It helps us understand the present and
remember our past
o Memory indicates that learning has
persisted over time
 The MEMORY
PROCESS
o Memory processing involves 3
stages:

o Encoding
o Storage
o Retrieval
 1.Encoding
o Getting Information Through to Our Mind
o Transforming The Information Into a Meaningful
Form
o Automatic Processing:
o Unconscious Encoding Of Incidental Information
o Effortful Processing:
o Requires Attention And Conscious Effort
o Acoustic Encoding (Sound Of Words)
o Visual Encoding (Picture Images)
o Semantic Encoding (Meaning Of Words)
 2.Storage
o Retaining Or Holding Onto The
Information
o Physiological Change In The Neural Path
Must Occur For The Memory To Be Stored
o Just Like The Computer Stores Data On A
Disk Or a Hard Drive
o Without Storage There Will Be No
Memory
o Happening at a Conscious & Subconscious
Level
 3. Retrieval
o The Process Of Getting Information Out Of
Storage
o We Retrieve Through:
o Recall:
o Pulling The Stored Information Into
Consciousness As On A Fill In The Blank Test

o Recognition:
o Identifying Previously Learned As On A MCQ Test

o Relearning
o Amount Of Time Saved When Learning
Something For The Second Time
 MEMORY MODEL
Richard Atkinson & Richard Shiffrin

o Model Of Memory
Distinguishes Three Main
Systems Or Compartments:
o Sensory Memory
o Short-term (Working) Memory
o Long-term Memory
 1.Sensory Memory
o Initial Mechanism Of Memory
o Refers To The Information We
Receive Through The Senses
o Lasts For Few Seconds Not More
Then 3 To 4 Seconds
o Iconic Memory:
o Momentary Sensory Memory Of Visual
Stimuli
o Echoic Memory:
o Momentary Sensory Memory Of Auditory
Stimuli
 2. Short-Term Memory
o Also Known As ‘Working Memory’
o Its The Information We Are Currently
Aware Of or Thinking About
o In Freudian Psychology Its Referred
As Conscious Mind
o STM Stores Information For
Approximately 20 To 30 Seconds
o Attending To This Information Allows
It To Continue On The Next Stage,
The Long-Term Memory
 3. Long-Term Memory
o Relatively Permanent
o Practically Unlimited In Terms Of
Its Storage Capacity
o Similar To The Permanent Storage
Of a Computer
o It Stores Facts, Vocabulary, Skills,
Life Events Etc.
o It Usually Stores Information That
Is Significant Or Beneficial
 Subcategories of LTM
o Semantic Memory
o Factual Or General Knowledge Of The World
o Meaning Of Words, Concepts, And Our Ability
To Do Math Etc.
o Procedural Memory
o Skills That Humans Possess, become a reflex
o Tying Shoelaces, Riding A Bicycle, Swimming
&Hitting a Baseball, Playing Cricket etc
o Episodic Memory
o Memories of Events & Life Situations
Connected With A Specific Time And Place
o Childhood Experiences, First Prize, Graduation
Day etc
Pictorial Demonstration of
Memory Model
 FORGET About
Forgetting??
o Counterpart of Memory
o As much as we Remember, we Forget more!
o Not all that bad
o A Natural Phenomenon
o Essential for our Survival
o Failing to remember doesn’t mean its not there
o Forgetting done Unconsciously to avoid
unpleasant and difficult situations (Abuse)
o Could be Physiological or Psychological
 Why Do We Forget??
o First Scenario:
o You store information in your memory
o Are unable to remember it when you need to
o But can at a later date
o Second Scenario:
o Information is inaccessible
o The human memory simply forgets
information
o Permanently & the physical traces of the
memory disappear
o The information is unavailable
o Mostly Physiological
 Forgetting In The STM
o Decay:
o Occurs when Information is not ‘Rehearsed‘
o When one does not contemplate it
o The physical trace of such memory is thought to
fade over time
o Displacement:
o New Memories Replace Old Ones
o Easy to remember the new learning
o Interference:
o Similar Information is difficult to Remember
o Proactive when Old Memories Interfere with the
New
o Retroactive when New Information Distorts Old one
 Forgetting In The LTM
o Limitless in its Capacity in terms of Time
o Unknown if Information actually Disappears
o Through Hypnosis can recall information not
consciously known to a person
o Retrieval Cues can be Harder to find the Further
we are from them
o Doesn’t Include Biological Disorders like
Alzheimer’s and Amnesia
 Ways to Improve Memory
o Pay Attention: Learn Promptly & Correctly
o Concentrate on One Task & Focus
o Involve as Many Senses as Possible
o Organize, Organize & Organize
o Establish a Regular Schedule
o Rehearse & Over-Learn
o Puzzles & Trivia Games
o Challenge Your Mind; Delve into the Difficult
o Make a Mind Map
o Be Motivated with a Positive Attitude
Example of a Mind Map