MEMORY Chapter 13
PSY1004F
___
16 April 2025
Memory is where we record, store and later retrieve experiences and
information.
Think of memory as a process and place.
○ Process (How it works)
○ Place (Where it happens in the brain)
CollyWobbles
Feeling uneasy or upset, a butterfly feeling in your stomach.
(This term is more slang or informal and not specifically a psychological concept, but
it helps describe emotional memory experiences.)
The Memory Process
1. Encoding
Initial information that enters our brain. Encoding is the process of
transforming sensory information (touch, smell, taste, feel etc.) into a
form that can be stored in the brain and used at a later stage.
Example: Typing on a computer – you're entering information into your system.
,Types of encoding:
● Automatic – Unconsciously noticing and remembering things.
Example: Sitting in a lecture and the lights are annoying, so you're going to
remember the lights more.
● Visual – Remembering someone's face.
● Acoustic – Remembering the tune of a song or sound.
● Tactile – Remembering the feeling of something.
Example: A soft blanket.
● Olfactory – Remembering a smell.
Example: Your favourite food.
● Semantic – Remembering the meaning of a word or concept.
(This is a deeper, more meaningful encoding.)
2. Consolidation
When recently learned experiences or newly formed memories are transformed
into long-term memories.
- It involves the strengthening and stabilising of neural connections over
time (through structural and chemical changes in the brain).
- When neurotransmitters are involved in a chemical change, it triggers a
structural change where more neural connections (synapses) are created –
this aids memory.
(Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers in the brain. Structural change: actual
changes in the brain’s wiring.)
3. Storage
Retaining information over time for later usage.
The amount of time in which information is stored in varies – short-term or
long-term.
Think of it like:
● Short-term = Like a notepad briefly making notes
● Long-term = Like a library, storing for months or years
, 4. Retrieval
The process of accessing and bringing stored information back into conscious
awareness.
It can be easy or difficult/hard:
● Easy = Hearing a song in the car and it reminds you of your best friend
● Hard = Being in a test, knowing you know the answer but struggling to
remember it.
Models of Memory (Classifying memory)
Information Processing Model
Compares memory to a computer storage system.
Memory goes through different stages, similar to a computer (input → storage
→ output).
PSY1004F
___
16 April 2025
Memory is where we record, store and later retrieve experiences and
information.
Think of memory as a process and place.
○ Process (How it works)
○ Place (Where it happens in the brain)
CollyWobbles
Feeling uneasy or upset, a butterfly feeling in your stomach.
(This term is more slang or informal and not specifically a psychological concept, but
it helps describe emotional memory experiences.)
The Memory Process
1. Encoding
Initial information that enters our brain. Encoding is the process of
transforming sensory information (touch, smell, taste, feel etc.) into a
form that can be stored in the brain and used at a later stage.
Example: Typing on a computer – you're entering information into your system.
,Types of encoding:
● Automatic – Unconsciously noticing and remembering things.
Example: Sitting in a lecture and the lights are annoying, so you're going to
remember the lights more.
● Visual – Remembering someone's face.
● Acoustic – Remembering the tune of a song or sound.
● Tactile – Remembering the feeling of something.
Example: A soft blanket.
● Olfactory – Remembering a smell.
Example: Your favourite food.
● Semantic – Remembering the meaning of a word or concept.
(This is a deeper, more meaningful encoding.)
2. Consolidation
When recently learned experiences or newly formed memories are transformed
into long-term memories.
- It involves the strengthening and stabilising of neural connections over
time (through structural and chemical changes in the brain).
- When neurotransmitters are involved in a chemical change, it triggers a
structural change where more neural connections (synapses) are created –
this aids memory.
(Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers in the brain. Structural change: actual
changes in the brain’s wiring.)
3. Storage
Retaining information over time for later usage.
The amount of time in which information is stored in varies – short-term or
long-term.
Think of it like:
● Short-term = Like a notepad briefly making notes
● Long-term = Like a library, storing for months or years
, 4. Retrieval
The process of accessing and bringing stored information back into conscious
awareness.
It can be easy or difficult/hard:
● Easy = Hearing a song in the car and it reminds you of your best friend
● Hard = Being in a test, knowing you know the answer but struggling to
remember it.
Models of Memory (Classifying memory)
Information Processing Model
Compares memory to a computer storage system.
Memory goes through different stages, similar to a computer (input → storage
→ output).
