Psychology

CHAPTER 6
1. What is memory? The mental processes that enable you to retain and retrieve information over time.
- Encoding: the process of transforming information into a form that can be enteredinto and retained by the memory system.
- Storage: The process of retraining information in memory so that it can be used at a later time.
- Retrieval: the process of recovering information stored inmemory so that we are consciously aware of it.
2. Stage model of memory: a model describing memory as consisting of three distinct stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.- Sensory memory: registers a great deal of information from the environment and holds it for a very brief period of time; works like taking a “snapshot” of surroundings, which is then transferred toshort term memory.
a) Duration: 3 seconds or less.
b) Capacity: large, but not unlimited.
c) Function: to perceive the world as continuous

- Short-term memory: the activestage of memory in which information is stored for up to about 20 seconds; often referred to as “working memory”, imagining, remembering and problem solving all take place here, some information heremay be encoded for storage in long-term memory.
a) Duration: up to 30 seconds.
b) Maintenance rehearsal: The mental or verbal repetition of information in order to maintain it beyond theusual 20-second duration of short-term memory (does not transfer to long term memory).
c) Capacity: About 5 – 9 items (7 + or – 2)
d) Chunking: the grouping of related items together in asingle unit.
e) Function: to “work” with information from sensory memory and long-term memory.
f) Working memory: the temporary storage and active, conscious manipulation of informationneeded for complex cognitive tasks, such as reasoning, learning, and problem solving.

- Long-term memory: the stage of memory that represents the long-term storage of information.
*Transfer...