Psycholinguistics - Lesson 12 - Memory

Summary

This lesson delves into the fundamental role of memory in linguistics, highlighting its importance for learning and daily functioning. It explains the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval, detailing how information is transformed into visual, acoustic, or semantic codes. The script contrasts short-term memory's limited capacity and duration with the seemingly unlimited capacity and enduring nature of long-term memory. It also touches on the sequential retrieval of short-term memory versus the associative retrieval of long-term memory, emphasizing the impact of organization on memory retrieval.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Memory is essential for our daily functioning, allowing us to store and retrieve past experiences and plan for the future.
• 🔍 Memory involves encoding, storage, and retrieval processes, which are critical for information processing.
• 📸 Encoding can be done in three main ways: visually (pictures), acoustically (sounds), and semantically (meaning).
• 📞 An example of visual encoding is remembering a phone number by seeing it written down, while acoustic encoding involves repeating it to oneself.
• 🔊 Acoustic coding is the principal system for short-term memory (STM), where information is rehearsed verbally.
• 📚 Semantic coding, based on meaning, is the primary encoding system for long-term memory (LTM), although visual and acoustic coding can also be used.
• 🔢 Miller's 'magic number seven' suggests that short-term memory can hold between five and nine items, with each 'slot' accommodating a piece of information.
• 🌊 The capacity of long-term memory is considered unlimited, contrasting with the limited capacity of short-term memory.
• ⏳ Short-term memory holds information briefly, typically for about 30 seconds, whereas long-term memory can store information for much longer periods.
• 🔑 Retrieval involves getting information out of storage, and the inability to remember something may be due to difficulties in retrieval.
• 🔄 Short-term memory stores and retrieves information sequentially, while long-term memory does so through associations, which can be triggered by related contexts.
• 📝 Organizing information can facilitate retrieval, such as by sequencing in alphabetical order, size, or time.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the 12th lesson in cycle linguistics?

The main topic of the 12th lesson is memory, its structures, and processes involved in the storage and retrieval of information.

Why is memory essential to our daily lives?

Memory is essential because without it, we cannot operate in the present, think about the future, or remember past events, which is crucial for learning and functioning in our daily lives.

What are the three main aspects of information processing that psychologists consider under the term 'memory'?

The three main aspects are encoding, storage, and retrieval.

What is the purpose of memory encoding?

Memory encoding is the process of changing information from sensory input into a form that the memory system can cope with and store.

What are the three main ways in which information can be encoded in memory?

Information can be encoded visually, acoustically, and semantically.

How does visual coding help in remembering a telephone number?

Visual coding helps by storing the telephone number as an image, which can be seen and remembered from a phone book or written notes.

What is the principal coding system in short-term memory (STM), according to the script?

The principal coding system in short-term memory is acoustic coding, which involves rehearsing information verbally.

What is the estimated capacity of most adults' short-term memory, as suggested by Miller in 1956?

Miller suggested that the capacity of short-term memory is between five and nine items, often referred to as the 'magic number seven.'

How does the capacity of long-term memory differ from that of short-term memory?

The capacity of long-term memory is thought to be unlimited, unlike short-term memory which has a limited capacity.

What is the primary difference between how information is stored and retrieved in short-term memory versus long-term memory?

In short-term memory, information is stored and retrieved sequentially, while in long-term memory, it is stored and retrieved by association.

Why might someone forget why they went upstairs when they reach the top, and how can they remember?

They might forget due to the associative nature of long-term memory. Going back to the location where they first thought about the task can trigger the memory and help them remember.

How can organizing information help with retrieval from memory?

Organizing information in sequences, such as alphabetically, by size, or by time, can facilitate the retrieval process by creating associations that make it easier to recall.