Warm-Up #7: What was Albert Bandura's
“social learning theory”? Be sure to discuss
the Bobo Doll experiment and what it teaches
us about learning. Provide examples of social
learning theory in every day life.
Warm-Up #8: Describe the three stages of
memory formation and provide an example
of each.
Video
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=qQ-96BLaKYQ
Memory
II. Memory
A. What is Memory?
1. Definition: Memory is the retention of information
or experience over time
2. Importance of Memory
– Memories make us who we are!
– Memory is the chain that connects our past to our present
– Our sense of self is the sum of what we’ve done, felt, and
seen
– You lose your memory, you lose your identity
– People with no memory cannot perceive of any future
Memory Game
Repeat after me…(color game)
Memory Game
I went to the grocery store for…
Memory Game
I went to the haunted house and saw…
Memory Test! Remember as many of the
following items as you can... (20 sec.)
Test Results: List as many of the
items you remember seeing in slide
with pictures.
Have a partner grade.
Answers
3. Stages of Memory
i. Encoding: The process in which information
gets into memory storage
– It’s like coding and filing a book away in the library
– Divided attention such as multi-tasking is detrimental to
encoding
ii. Storage: The retention of information over
time
– It’s like keeping a book stored in a library
iii. Retrieval: The process of retrieving
information out of storage
– It’s like checking out a book from the library
4. Autobiographical Memory
– Memories occur when they become autobiographical when we become self-aware (around 18 months to 3
years old)
– This explains why we can't remember when we were
babies and why babies and puppies don’t recognize
themselves in the mirror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dmkRsB
m5ww Puppies vs. Mirrors (3 min)
B. How Memory is Stored
1. Location, Location, Location
•
There is no one specific location where memories are
stored; however, the neurons in the hippocampus
orchestrate the recording and storage of memory and
the amygdala is involved in emotional memories
2. How are Memories Stored?
– Memory is a highly selective process. Our brain’s hippocampus
has to determine what is important and what isn’t. Memory
storage involves three separate systems:
i. Sensory Memory: Information is retained for seconds
Example: What was the color of the car that passed me up on the
freeway?
ii. Short-Term Memory: Information is retained for minutes at a
time
Example: What did you say your name was? I forgot.
iii. Long-Term Memory: Information is retained up to a lifetime
Example: When is my wife’s birthday?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkaXNvz
E4pk (5 min)
TED Ed: Memory & the story of H.M.
3. Declarative v. Procedural Memory
In 1953 Dr. Scoville removed Henry Molaison’s
(H.M.) hippocampus in hopes of stopping the
severe seizures he was having. After the surgery his
seizures largely vanished but so did H.M.’s ability to
form new memories. He had trouble remembering
new information and often forgot things he did
minutes earlier.
However, researchers discovered that H.M. could
build on and improve skills such as drawing
complicated objects even though he could not
remember any of his previous attempts at drawing
them. This case study led to the discovery of two
key categories of long-term memory: declarative
memory and procedural memory.
A. Declarative Memory (knowing what): Memory of
names, dates, and facts.
B. Procedural Memory (knowing how): Memory of
how to perform certain tasks such as speaking, driving
a car, playing an instrument, etc.
C. Forgetting
There are three main theories for why we forget…
1. Encoding Failure: The information was never
encoded into long-term memory
2. Interference Theory: The information we want
to remember is stored but other information gets
in the way
3. Decay Theory: Over time, we forget things
because the neural pathways disintegrate from
underuse (pruning)
Which is the real penny?
Q: The correct answer is “A.” Why was this
activity so hard for most people?
A: We only encode a small portion of our life
experiences into long-term memory
D. False Memories
False memories are distorted memories constructed by
feeding people misinformation (on purpose or accident).
They are memories of things that never happened!
1. Memories are not fixed recordings of the past
– Memory is an imaginative reconstruction that is hardly ever
exact
– Studies conducted by Fredric Bartlett in the 20s
and 30s showed that memories often transform upon each
act of recollection
2. Dr. Elizabeth Loftus’s research showed
that our minds can create false memories memories of things that never happened.
a) Memory can be altered by new and
false information
b) Memory is malleable – it’s like a
Wikipedia page: anyone can change it
Brain Games: Remember This!
Video Questions
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB2Oeg
I6wvI&list=PLPy6sKFD3nM9k0yUkx4fbHwpjsVyERfd – TED
Talk: False Memory (18 min) with questions
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmBnLw
wQV1E -Through the Wormhole: False
Memory (3 min)
E. Strengthening Memory
1. Create Stories
•Humans remember information best
through story form
•Create a story, no matter how absurd it
may sound, to relate concepts to each other
2. Mental Images
Drawing pictures, diagrams, or merely
creating a mental image helps create a
lasting portrait
3. Self-Reference
Relate material to your own experience.
Draw links between new material with
old material.
Example: Oh, your name is Josh? That should be
easy to remember as I have a cousin named Josh!
4. Use Songs or Jingles
Example: Columbus sailed the ocean blue in
1492
5. Use it or Lose It Principal:
Your brain learns and forms memories
by strengthening synapses that are
used a lot and weakening those that
are used less often. This process is
called “pruning.”
Brain cells undergo chemical and
structural changes during learning. By
changing the number, or strength, of
connections between brain cells,
information is written into memory.
Be sure to review, re-write, and
frequently discuss information that is
important!
Continued...
People who engage in intellectual
pursuits (i.e. reading, learning
another language, playing chess)
are better protected against
mental decline associated with
old age
New neural pathways built while
learning compensate for damage
The End
Memory Test! Remember as many of the
following items as you can... (20 sec.)
Vase
Cushion
Teapot
Spade
Tiger
Piano
Camera
House
Book
Hat
Ice Cream
Orange
Test Results: List as many of the
items you remember seeing.
Have a partner grade.
Answers
Vase
Cushion
Teapot
Spade
Tiger
Piano
Camera
House
Book
Hat
Ice Cream
Orange
Memory Game
I went to the zoo and saw…
Memory Test! Remember as many of
the following items as you can...
Apple
Cookie
Printer
Couch
Sword
Guitar
Car
Bowling Ball
Bridge
Monkey
Shield
Snake
Test Results...Have a partner grade
Directions
1.
2.
Submit warm-ups in the front
Finish note summaries (as much as
you can)
• although factors such as fatigue, stress or poor
diet can play a role in poor recall, other, more
serious causes of forgetfulness include
tumors, medication side effects, Depression,
and Alzheimer's Disease.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ZsQ9
PjSW0
Bio Ed: Learning and Memory (11 ½ min)
1. Unit 3 test is TOMORROW.
2. All missing work for this unit is due no later
than FRIDAY.
3. Work on note summaries (due at end of
class).
1. Test TODAY
2. Get note summaries checked off if you have
not done so already
3. No Psychology Today due Friday
4. Please submit your warm-ups in the front bin
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmdycJ
Qi4QA
Feral Children: Genie and Victor