Phase II, Part 4: Definitions 11-20, Question 2

Ebbinghaus’ retention curve: Ebbinghaus created this curve to observe the relationship between the number of times he rehearsed a set of nonsense syllables and the time it took to recall them the next day. He found that the more he rehearsed the syllables, the less time it took to remember them. This principle can then be transferred to many other scenarios. EXAMPLE: If a ballerina only rehearses her dance routine once during a practice session, she will recall little of it the next time she practices. However, if she rehearses it repeatedly, it becomes more deeply encoded in her memory, and she will be able to remember the majority of it the next time she dances.

Spacing Effect: When information is rehearsed repeatedly over a long span of time, it is easier to retain than if it was rehearsed all at once. EXAMPLE: If a student studies their notes every night for a week, they will be able to retain the information better when taking a test than a student who only studied for 5 hours the night before.

What We Encode: When a brain encodes information, it is storing it in its memory for later recollection. However, what is encoded may not necessarily be what was presented. EXAMPLE: After hearing a catchy song on the radio, you find yourself humming the melody a few hours later without recalling the title, artist, or lyrics. What was encoded in this situation wasn't the song exactly as it was presented, but instead it was just the melody.

Kinds of Encoding: There are three kinds of encoding, visual, acoustic, and semantic. Visual is images, acoustic is sounds, and semantic is meaning. EXAMPLE: After seeing a play, visual encoding would be remembering the sets and the faces of the actors, acoustic encoding would be remembering how the actors said they're lines, and semantic encoding would be remembering the themes of the plot.

Levels of Processing: While visual and acoustic encoding provide some means for later recognition, semantic encoding is what really embeds a concept in someone's memory. EXAMPLE: If a person listens to a song while reading the lyrics, they may be able to recall bits of each, but not a majority of them. However, if that person can find meaning in the song, they will be much more likely and willing to remember more of it.

Imagery and Memory: Experiences and words that lend themselves to vivid mental pictures are much easier to recall than anything abstract. This is because concrete nouns and events contain both semantic and visual encoding (they can be understood and seen by the mind). When something is reinforced by two types of encoding, it makes the memory of it that much stronger. EXAMPLE: When comparing the words clarinet and theme, clarinet is much easier to remember because it is something that can be seen and touched. There is one distinct image that goes along with it, which is the instrument itself. Conversely, theme is an abstract concept that is completely ambiguous. It could be the theme in a song, a book, a play, anything. It cannot be seen or touched. There is no image to associate with it. Without a clear image, a concept is much harder to remember.

Mnemonics: These are devices used to aid memory. They are usually associated with vivid imagery and are organizational. EXAMPLE: In elementary school we were taught the mnemonic device "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" in order to memorize the order of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto).

Ways to Organize Information for Encoding: Two ways to organize information are chunking and hierarchies. Chunking consists of forming information into groups that are meaningful. EXAMPLE: To remember the notes in the spaces of a treble clef staff (F, A, C, & E) you can simply use the word FACE./ Hierarchies start with the broadest concept in the set of information and break it down into specific topics. The same is then done with these next topics until the information is broken down into its simplest components. EXAMPLE: A hierarchy that starts with the word "cells" could be broken down into the topics "animal" and "plant." These topics could then be further broken down into their separate parts contained within one cell.

Memory Trace: Information is retained through a process completed by the brain. Each memory is recalled through a series of cues that bring it back. EXAMPLE: If someone walks past a wet floor sign in a grocery store and then proceeds to fall and sprain their ankle, when they see a wet floor sign in a grocery store their memory of spraining their ankle will be recalled. The wet floor sign and the grocery store acted as the triggers for the memory, and, therefore, the memory can be traced through those.

Iconic Memory: A quickly disappearing, yet photographic memory. It only lasts fractions of a second, but in that time, a memory can be recalled in exact detail. EXAMPLE: After witnessing a car accident, for a tenth of a second afterward, someone could recall every detail from the direction the car flipped to the moment that windshield began to crack perfectly. However, the memory wouldn't last long enough for them to communicate it.

2. How is the human mind faulty in remembering information? Explain how that could impact the construction of your learning strategy (provide 3 examples)
Absent-mindedness causes forgetfulness due to inattention to detail. This would affect the construction of our learning strategy because we need to be sure that the details of each topic are impossible to look over. They would have to be as big of a part of the studying as the main concepts. Transience makes memory faulty because information that isn't used eventually fades. This creates the need for the learning strategy to include repetition. Repetition will ensure that the information continues to be used, so it won't be forgotten. Blocking is the inability to access information. This could be avoided by including imagery in the learning strategy. If the concepts are accompanied by a vivid image, they will be easier to remember and more accesible.