UNIT+3+AOS2

UNIT 3 AOS2 - MEMORY

__**Memory**__

Why do I remember some things and forget others? How are memories formed? Can I improve my memory? These questions highlight the characteristics of memory as a cognitive process. Memory is essential to our identity: it connects our past experiences to the present and shapes our future by enabling us to adapt to daily changes in our environment. Students investigate the retention of experiences and learning as memory and the factors that affect retention and recall of information. They study the neural basis of memory and the connectivity between brain areas to explain the complexity of memory, factors that affect memory and its decline over time, and the cause of forgetfulness. Students examine models that explain processes and types of memory, consider how to measure retention of memory and investigate techniques for improving and manipulating memory. As they analyse and evaluate the contribution that classic and contemporary studies have made to this field of study, students consider the techniques used to gather data and the associated ethical implications. Students apply appropriate methods of psychological research and ethical principles when undertaking their own research investigations related to memory.

Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to compare theories that explain the neural basis of memory and factors that affect its retention, and evaluate the effectiveness of techniques for improving and manipulating memory. Key knowledge This knowledge includes: • mechanism of memory formation: – role of the neuron in memory formation informed by the work of E. Richard Kandel– roles of the hippocampus and temporal lobe– consolidation theory – memory decline over the lifespan – amnesia resulting from brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

• comparison of models for explaining human memory:

– Atkinson-Shiffrin’s multi-store model of memory including maintenance and elaborative rehearsal, serial position effect and chunking – Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch’s model of working memory: central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, episodic buffer – levels of processing as informed by Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart – organisation of long-term memory including declarative and episodic memory, and semantic network theory

• strengths and limitations of psychological theories of forgetting:

– retrieval failure theory including tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon – interference theory – motivated forgetting as informed by the work of Sigmund Freud including repression and suppression – decay theory

• manipulation and improvement of memory:

– forgetting curve as informed by the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus – measures of retention including the relative sensitivity of recall, recognition and relearning – use of context dependent cues and state dependent cues – mnemonic devices including acronyms, acrostics, peg-word method, narrative chaining and method of loci – effect of misleading questions on eye-witness testimonies including the reconstructive nature of memory informed by the work of Elizabeth Loftus

• research methods and ethical principles associated with the study of memory, as outlined in the

introduction to the unit.