Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Introduction: What Is Memory?239MaintenancerehearsalMaintenance rehearsalmaintains informationin short-term memory.ElaborativerehearsalElaborative rehearsalhelps encode informationfor storage in long-termmemory.SensoryMemoryAttentionShort-TermMemoryEncodingand storageLong-TermMemoryRetrievalForgettingInformation that is notattended to quicklyfades and is forgotten.ForgettingInformation that is notrehearsed or encodedis forgotten afterabout 20 seconds.Figure 6.4 The Role of Sensory andShort-Term Memory in the Stage Modelof MemoryA much more effective encoding strategy is elaborative rehearsal, which involvesfocusing on the meaning of information to help encode and transfer it to long-termmemory. With elaborative rehearsal, you relate the information to other informationyou already know. That is, rather than simply repeating the information, you elaborateon the new information in some meaningful way.Elaborative rehearsal significantly improves memory for new material. This pointis especially important for students, because elaborative rehearsal is a helpful studystrategy. Here’s an example of how you might use elaborative rehearsal to improveyour memory for new information. In Chapter 2 we discussed three brain structuresthat are part of the limbic system: the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the amygdala.If you tried to memorize the definitions of these structures by reciting themover and over to yourself, you engaged in the not-so-effective memory strategy ofmaintenance rehearsal.But if you elaborated on the information in some meaningful way, you would bemore likely to recall it. For example, you could think about the limbic system’sinvolvement in emotions, memory, and motivation by constructing a simple story.“I knew it was lunchtime because my hypothalamus told me I was hungry, thirsty,and cold. My hippocampus helped me remember a new restaurant that opened oncampus, but when I got there I had to wait in line and my amygdala reacted withanger.” The story may be a bit silly, but many studies have shown that elaborativerehearsal leads to better retention (Lockhart & Craik, 1990).Creating this simple story to help you remember the limbic system illustrates twoadditional factors that enhance encoding. First, applying information to yourself,called the self-reference effect, improves your memory for information. Second, theuse of visual imagery, especially vivid images, also enhances encoding (Czienskowski& Giljohann, 2002; Paivio, 1995).The fact that elaborative rehearsal results in more effective encoding and bettermemory of new information has many practical applications for students. As youstudy:• Make sure you understand the new information by restating it in your own words.• Actively question new information.• Think about the potential applications and implications of the material.“The matters about which I’m being questioned,Your Honor, are all things Ishould have included in my long-termmemory but which I mistakenly insertedin my short-term memory.”© 1983 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. Ed FIsher.