Lernzettel: Perception and Sensory Processes

Memory Revision Sheet

1. 📌 Essentials

• Memory involves encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.
• The hippocampus is crucial for consolidating new memories.
• Short-term memory holds 7 ± 2 items for about 20 seconds.
• The primacy effect favors recall of early list items; recency effect favors recent items.
• Explicit memory includes episodic semantic memory.
• Retroactive interference impairs old memories; proactive interference impairs new learning.
• The forgetting curve shows rapid initial forgetting, then stabilization.
• Recognition is easier than recall due to cues.
• Context-dependent memory improves recall when environment matches encoding.
• Memory failure often results from encoding failure rather than decay.

2. 🧩 Key Structures & Components

• Hippocampus — consolidates new explicit memories.
• Amygdala — processes fear and emotional memories.
• Prefrontal Cortex — involved in working memory and executive functions.
• Short-term Memory — temporary storage of 7 ± 2 items.
• Long-term Memory — durable storage, divided into explicit and implicit.
• Encoding — rehearsal, elaboration, organization.
• Memory Trace — physical change in brain representing stored info.

3. 🔬 Functions, Mechanisms & Relationships

• Encoding failure is the primary cause of forgetting.
• Rehearsal enhances transfer from short-term to long-term memory.
• The hippocampus encodes and consolidates episodic memories.
• The amygdala modulates emotional memory strength.
• Interference (retroactive and proactive) disrupts memory retrieval.
• Recognition relies on cue-based retrieval; recall requires active search.
• Context cues aid retrieval by matching environmental stimuli.
• The forgetting curve demonstrates exponential decay of memory over time.
• Short-term memory capacity is limited; long-term memory is virtually unlimited.

4. 📊 Comparative Table

Item	Key Features	Notes
Short-term Memory (STM)	7 ± 2 items, ~20 seconds	Limited capacity, fragile
Long-term Memory (LTM)	Infinite duration, durable storage	Divided into explicit and implicit
Explicit Memory	Conscious recall (episodic, semantic)	Requires hippocampus
Implicit Memory	Unconscious recall (procedural, priming)	Does not require hippocampus
Recognition	Identifying learned items with cues	Easier than recall
Recall	Retrieving information without cues	More effortful

5. 🗂️ Hierarchical Diagram

Memory
 ├─ Short-term Memory
 │    ├─ Capacity: 7 ± 2 items
 │    └─ Duration: ~20 seconds
 ├─ Long-term Memory
 │    ├─ Explicit (Conscious)
 │    │    ├─ Episodic (personal events)
 │    │    └─ Semantic (facts)
 │    └─ Implicit (Unconscious)
 │         ├─ Procedural (skills)
 │         └─ Priming
 └─ Retrieval Processes
      ├─ Recognition
      └─ Recall

6. ⚠️ High-Yield Pitfalls & Confusions

• Confusing encoding failure with decay; most forgetting is due to encoding issues.
• Overestimating the duration of short-term memory.
• Assuming recognition is always easier than recall; context matters.
• Mixing up retroactive and proactive interference.
• Believing all memories are equally durable; emotional memories are often stronger.
• Confusing implicit with explicit memory.
• Overlooking the role of the hippocampus in memory consolidation.
• Ignoring the influence of context-dependent cues on retrieval.

7. ✅ Final Exam Checklist

• Understand the stages of memory: encoding, storage, retrieval.
• Know the key brain structures: hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex.
• Differentiate between short-term and long-term memory.
• Recognize the primacy and recency effects.
• Explain interference types: retroactive and proactive.
• Describe the forgetting curve and its implications.
• Distinguish between recognition and recall.
• Comprehend the role of context in memory retrieval.
• Be familiar with the types of explicit and implicit memory.
• Understand how rehearsal and elaboration improve encoding.
• Know the limitations of short-term memory capacity.
• Recognize common pitfalls in understanding memory processes.