MEMORY

Prepared by Sir Atta Ur Rehman

Lecturer DT FAHS
Gomal University D.i.Khan
DEFINITION

 Psychologist defined memory as the

capacity to record, retain and retrieve
information the three R’s of
remembering.
 Memory is the means by which we draw
on our past experiences in order to use
this information in the present.
 Memory is the human ability to store,
retain and recall information and
experiences.
Stages of Memory

 The process of memory

depends on three stages,
1. Encoding
2. Storage
3. Retrieval
Encoding

 Encoding is to arrange the information

that it can be encode or store in proper
way its like a registration of new
information.

 Encoding is the 1st step to creating a new

memory, the thing or out side stimulus
which we perceive is to be converted into
a construct that can be stored within the
brain, so that later on it can b recalled.
 Cont…

 Moreover encoding is when

information comes into our
memory system (from sensory
input), it needs to be changed
into a form that the system can
cope with, so that it can be
stored.
 Example, money currency…
Memory Storage

 Thesecond stage is memory

storage.
 Inthis stage the information is
placed in to store house, if
the information is repeated
again and again than it can b
stored in long term memory
and can b recalled after
days ,months and year,
Retrieval or recall

 Thisrefers to getting information

out storage. If we can’t
remember something, it may be
because we are unable to
retrieve it. When we are asked
to retrieve something from
memory, the differences between
STM and LTM become very clear.
 Cont…

 STM is stored and retrieved sequentially. For

example, if a group of participants are given
a list of words to remember, and then asked
to recall the fourth word on the list,
participants go through the list in the order
they heard it in order to retrieve the
information.

 LTM is stored and retrieved by association.

Simply the retrieval is to calling back the
information in response to some cues.
Types of Memory

 Psychologist
consider three
stores of memory that is
Sensory memory, STM and
LTM.
 According to one famous theory these
three kinds of memory vary in terms of
their function and length of time
information is retained.
 Sensory memory refers to initial storage
of information, lasting on an instant.
Short term memory holds information
for 15 to 25 seconds in this phase the
information is stored in term of its
meaning.
 Cont…

 The 3rd type is LTM here the

information is relatively
permanent, although it may
be difficult to recall.
Sensory Memory

 Sensorymemory stores large amount

of information for very short period
of time one sec or less, All
information that gets stored in our
memories first enters through our
senses, For example to be able to
recall what a your teacher says in a
lecture you first must be in class to
hear that lecture.
 Cont…

 Sensory memory is an ultra-short-term

memory and decays or degrades very
quickly, typically in the region of 200 - 500
milliseconds .
 Few studies focused on visual and on
auditory sensory memory, There is an iconic
memory which reflects information from our
visual, it’s the memory of visual stimuli. The
other is echoic memory which stored
information coming from ears, echoic is
aural stimuli.
 Ingeneral sensory is able to
stores information for a very
short time, if material does
not pass to another form of
memory than the information
is lost for good.
Short term memory

 Shortterm memory is also called

working memory,
 It’sa place where memory is recalled
without practicing, STM is also referred
as the “Brain’s Post_it_note.
 STM is the level of store house of
human memory with limited capacity
and without the benefit of rehearsal,
 Cont…

Encoding in STM
To encode information into STM requires that
we must pay attention. Encoding involves
placing information into the memory
system, we tend to encode the information
that we have an interest and we are
motivated toward that info, for example in
a text book we most easily remember
practical material or information that seems
interesting to us.
 Cont…

There are two important variables in

encoding that information must be
meaningful or chunking.
1. Meaningfulness
 Meaningfulness refers to
informational value of the material.
High meaningful material is encoded
more easily than low meaningful
material, For Example:
 Cont…

 Read the following letters and than

try to recall them without looking.
T_HED_OGS_AW _TH_ECA_T
These letters of strings would be
difficult to recall because these are
the letters that are low meaningful or
they don’t have meaning.now here
are the same latters again but in
arrange form,
 Cont…

THE_DOG _SAW_THE_CAT
Now one can recall them and encode them easily
because these are in arrange form and have
high meaning fulness.
Chunking:
Chunking is a method of memorization and way of
proper encoding. In this method, the items
to be memorized are divided into small and
easily memorizable chunks or groups. This
method works best when the order of the
items is not important.
Example:
1. The number 472627607 may be memorized
easily if it is grouped as 472, 627,607 or as 47,
26, 27,607.
2. The list Apple, cucumber, paper, ink, cabbage,
banana, grapes, beans, stapler, orange can be
better learned by rearranging and applying
chunking as :-
Apple, banana, grapes, orange, cucumber,
cabbage, beans, paper, ink, stapler
-- 4 fruits, 3 vegetables and 3 stationary items.
Rehearsal
There is a way to keep information in
the STM for much longer time that is
to rehearse or repeat something or
any information so it can b stored in
LTM as well. Rehearsal may takes two
form.
1. Maintenance
2. Elaborative rehearsal
Maintenance rehearsal is simply repeating
the material over and over again
without thinking about it, we would use
it if we wanted a phone number long
enough to make a call.
Elaborative is when material is organized
and in arrange form, it is the process in
which if we rehearsed something in STM
it more likely to be transferred into LTM
.
Long term memory

 Long-term memory refers to the

continuing storage of information. The
process of LTM depends on rehearsal of
information present in STM.
 It’s the ability to store more information
for longer period of time the information
of LTM is relatively permanent ,and also
can be recalled.LTM can stored larger
quantity of information and for unlimited
duration.
 Cont…

 LTM is further divided into 2 main parts

that is:
1. Declarative memory
2. Procedural memory
Declarative memory: is referred as the
memory of facts ,names faces and
events that can be consciously
recalled. Declarative memory has two
types semantic and episodic memory.
Semantic memory is the structured records
of facts, meanings ,concept and
knowledge about the external world that
we have acquired. For example types of
food names of seasons names of cities and
capital and mathematics etc.
Episodic memory represents our memory of
experiences and specific events from
which we reconstruct new form of events.
Procedural memory: is the most basic
type of memory, it’s the unconscious
memory of skills and how to do
things, it’s the formation of
association between stimuli and
response. its to adapt new thing
example riding bike or driving car.
( how to do things is stored in
procedural memory)
 THANK
YOU