Memory
Thursday, 7 October 2021 1:37 PM
Why cognition
- Behaviorism couldn’t explain a lot of these
- Basic learning processes and behaviorism
○ Behavior as the unit of study / analysis
○ Classical and operant conditioning
- Human mind is a black box
○ Thoughts / thinking processes have no physical dimensions
○ Does not mean we cannot study it
- Banduras observations
○ Shows that even if behaviors arent performed doesn’t mean nothing
has been learnt
○ Retention system in cognition responsible
○ Many children imitated the behavior of the adult model
§ Or went further
○ 4 components in observational learning
§ Attention
§ Reproducing the behavior
§ Retention in memory
§ motivation
Memory test
- Cognition system not very accurate
- Adaptive functions
○ Our memory systems may have evolved overtime to help retain
survival and fitness related information
○ Food retrieval / water locations
○ Drawback - energy consumptions, head size
- Our memory fails us sometimes
○ Collective false memory
§ The Mandela effect
□ A large group of people recall an event or object being
a certain way when in fact its not
□ There are multiuniverses
® and we have taken glimpses leading to a
different memory
□ Need to make falsifiable theories
® No way we can falsify this theory right now
® Don’t have simpler explanations
§ Theory 1 - parallel universe
§ Theory 2 - false memory
□ Testable
, □ Need to make falsifiable theories
® No way we can falsify this theory right now
® Don’t have simpler explanations
§ Theory 1 - parallel universe
§ Theory 2 - false memory
□ Testable
○ Simpler theory
§ Memory isn't accurate
Memory
- Information processing approach
○ Comparable with a computer system
○ Computes / processes data / encode the information
- 3 functions of memory
○ Encoding
§ In human it is the senses
○ Storage
○ Retrieval
§ Getting back information from storage
- Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory
○ Sensory input
§ Transmitting physical energy into neural impulses to be
interpreted by the brain
○ Sensory memory
§ Holds large amounts of incoming data for a brief amount of
time
□ Processes information gathered from our five senses
® We subconsciously / continuously gather
information from our five senses, which is held
by our sensory memory after the stimulus has
stopped
® But only for very brief amount of time
◊ In order for information to be retained it
needs to move onto the short term
memory
§ Important role of attention
○ Not all information useful
○ Gives our brain time to process the incoming stimuli
§ We only pick up useful information from sensory information
○ Attention directs us to attend to useful information
○ This info then passed on short term for further
processing
§ Encoding at the sensory stage
○ First stage of memory
○ Holds a large amount of incoming data for a brief
amount of time
○ No limit of information
○ Unprocessed sensory image
○ Large capacity to capture visual information
○ Light travels vey fast
○ Able to take in all the information
Thursday, 7 October 2021 1:37 PM
Why cognition
- Behaviorism couldn’t explain a lot of these
- Basic learning processes and behaviorism
○ Behavior as the unit of study / analysis
○ Classical and operant conditioning
- Human mind is a black box
○ Thoughts / thinking processes have no physical dimensions
○ Does not mean we cannot study it
- Banduras observations
○ Shows that even if behaviors arent performed doesn’t mean nothing
has been learnt
○ Retention system in cognition responsible
○ Many children imitated the behavior of the adult model
§ Or went further
○ 4 components in observational learning
§ Attention
§ Reproducing the behavior
§ Retention in memory
§ motivation
Memory test
- Cognition system not very accurate
- Adaptive functions
○ Our memory systems may have evolved overtime to help retain
survival and fitness related information
○ Food retrieval / water locations
○ Drawback - energy consumptions, head size
- Our memory fails us sometimes
○ Collective false memory
§ The Mandela effect
□ A large group of people recall an event or object being
a certain way when in fact its not
□ There are multiuniverses
® and we have taken glimpses leading to a
different memory
□ Need to make falsifiable theories
® No way we can falsify this theory right now
® Don’t have simpler explanations
§ Theory 1 - parallel universe
§ Theory 2 - false memory
□ Testable
, □ Need to make falsifiable theories
® No way we can falsify this theory right now
® Don’t have simpler explanations
§ Theory 1 - parallel universe
§ Theory 2 - false memory
□ Testable
○ Simpler theory
§ Memory isn't accurate
Memory
- Information processing approach
○ Comparable with a computer system
○ Computes / processes data / encode the information
- 3 functions of memory
○ Encoding
§ In human it is the senses
○ Storage
○ Retrieval
§ Getting back information from storage
- Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory
○ Sensory input
§ Transmitting physical energy into neural impulses to be
interpreted by the brain
○ Sensory memory
§ Holds large amounts of incoming data for a brief amount of
time
□ Processes information gathered from our five senses
® We subconsciously / continuously gather
information from our five senses, which is held
by our sensory memory after the stimulus has
stopped
® But only for very brief amount of time
◊ In order for information to be retained it
needs to move onto the short term
memory
§ Important role of attention
○ Not all information useful
○ Gives our brain time to process the incoming stimuli
§ We only pick up useful information from sensory information
○ Attention directs us to attend to useful information
○ This info then passed on short term for further
processing
§ Encoding at the sensory stage
○ First stage of memory
○ Holds a large amount of incoming data for a brief
amount of time
○ No limit of information
○ Unprocessed sensory image
○ Large capacity to capture visual information
○ Light travels vey fast
○ Able to take in all the information
