INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE

HS 002: Introduction to Psychology

Manish Kumar Asthana (Ph.D.)

Faculty of Psychology
Department of Humanities & Social Sciences
Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]
 Memory
1. Memory is the cognitive system to acquire, store,
retain, and later retrieve information
2. Memory is the process of maintaining information over
time
 Stages in Memory

1. Encoding stage: sensory events are coded and

changed to a format that makes additional
processing model.
2. Storage stage: the incoming information is
assigned a location and it usually remains there
until it is either needed or lost together.
3. Retrieval stage: In this stage previously stored
material is reclaimed due to a present demand
Multi-store Memory Model / Information processing model

Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory (1967)

Sensory Memory
1. Preliminary bin, time to review novel source of
information and to select key items to consider more
extensively.
2. Iconic memory (visual sensory register: < 1sec)
LOW tone

MEDIUM tone

HIGH tone

3. Echoic memory (auditory sensory register: < 4sec)

 Short-term Memory (STM / Working memory)
1. STM is memory that holds information received from the
sensory register for up to about 30seconds (when rehearsal
or active maintenance is prevented)
2. Rehearsal: The process of rehearsal consists of keeping
items of information in the center of attention, perhaps
by repeating them silently or aloud. (e.g. following a road map,
remembering a grocery list, etc.)
3. Duration of STM: Brown-Peterson
paradigm (1958-59) rapid
deterioration and loss of information
housed in STM. Some information
stored momentarily, perhaps not
more than 20 sec.
Recap
• Stages of Memory
• Multistore model (Richard Atkinson & Richard
Shiffrin, 1967)
Short-term Memory (STM)

1. Capacity of STM: Capacity of STM depends upon

how information is encoded. When items are
discriminated on the basis of how they sound
(acoustical encoding), about 7-items can be
accommodated at once (for e.g. telephone
numbers, etc). 7-tems acoustically and 3-items non-
acoustically.
Chunk of information: is a discrete coherent unit
compiled from a smaller bits of data that share
common properties and relationships. (eg. Academic
concepts of science, etc.) TVFBIJFKY…. [(i)
TVF..BIJF…KY…; (ii) TV…FBI…FKY…]
2. Serial position curve: List of 20-nouns shown to
participants, noun presented for 1-sec with 2-sec
interval
Serial-position curve
100

Recency
80 effect
Percent recalled

60 Primacy
effect

40

20

0
5 10 15 20
Serial position
● FIGURE 6.3 Serial position curve (Murdoch, 1962). Notice that memory is better
 Long-term Memory Model
LTM is the final stage of the multi-store model proposed by
Atkinson-Shiffrin (1968). It has two important features:
1. Lasting nature of the stored information
2. Great size of the repository

Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory (1967)

 Long-term
memory

Declarative/Explicit Non-declarative/implicit
Memory Memory

Episodic Semantic
Habituation,
MTL, Priming Classical
sensitization
Diencephalon Conditioning
Neocortex Reflex
Procedural pathways
memory (skills,
Basal ganglia habits)
 Two types of LTM system

1. Semantic Memory: relates to the

meanings of words and concepts
and the rules for using them in
language. It is a vast network of
meaningfully organized items of
information. (for e.g. formula for
computing the area of circle)
2. Episodic Memory: relates to
specific events in one’s life and
functions as a sort of
autobiographical reserve. (for e.g.
remembering the anniversary)
 Metamemory
Metamemory defines the ability to monitor one's own
memory. It is the knowledge and awareness of one’s own
memory, including the contents and processes of our own
memory. For e.g. use of mnemonics (songs, mapping), flash
cards, study groups (teach someone else)
1. Memory Retention: is when a person can recall or retain
experiences based on the mental process of recognition or
retention of information.
2. Recognition: The ability to identify information as having
been encountered previously (recollection). It gives the
sense of familiarity, the events, objects, or people you
have previously encountered.
3. Recall: in memory refers to the mental process of retrieval
of information from the past.
Forgetting: refers to the apparent loss
of information already encoded and
stored in long-term memory
It occurs due to two reasons:
(i) the information no longer resides in long-term
memory. (ii) the information still exists but is not
assessible.

Two theories of forgetting:

1. Decay Theory
2. Interference Theory
 Interference Theory of forgetting proposes that the
“something” blocking the usual process of retrieval is
present in the form of established associations that
conflict with what we are trying to recall.
1. Retroactive Interreference: Retroactive Interference
you experience a deficit in
recall due to activities Gp1 TaskA TaskB Recall Task A
( )
intervening between
original learning and Gp2 TaskA Rest Recall TaskA
(-)
testing.
Proactive Interference
2. Proactive Interference:
occur when material you Gp1 TaskA TaskB Recall TaskB
have learned under a ( )
previous condition Gp2 Rest TaskB Recall TaskB
produces a decrement in (-)
the recall of more recently
learned material
 Decay theory: proposes that memory fades due to mere
passage of time. Time plays a major role in forgetting bad
events, and also more positive memories.

Non-sense
syllable
• Pap
• Vath
• Chid
• Whob
• fash
“Forgetting is primarily
the result of gradual
decay of information
over time.”
 Amnesia: involves forgetting under
conditions of severe psychological or
physical trauma

Anterograde amnesia: In this form of amnesia there is problem

with encoding. (for e.g. someone might remember how to make a phone call
but they don’t remember what they did earlier this morning. )

Retrograde Amnesia Anterograde Amnesia

NOW

PAST FUTURE

Retrograde amnesia: In this form of amnesia the memory loss is for

information acquired prior to the point of trauma. (for e.g. someone might
forget whether or not they own a car, what type it is, and when they bought it)
Test
1. Explain different stages of memory?
2. What is encoding?
3. Explain types of memory?
4. What is long-term memory?
5. What is sensory memory?
6. Explain iconic and echoic memory with an example.
7. Explain serial-position effect in detail?
8. What is recency effect?
9. Difference between episodic and semantic memory
10. What is multistore model?
 THANKS!

Manish Kumar Asthana (Ph.D.)

Assistant Professor
Department of Humanities & Social Sciences,
Indian Institute of Technology
Email: [email protected]