Elaborative rehearsal is the act of linking new information that one is trying to learn to pre-existing information that is already known.

Elaborative Rehearsal

Active rehearsal is a memory strategy focused on transferring information from short-term to long-term memory through repetition. This process involves consciously practicing or repeating the information until it is sufficiently encoded for long-term storage.

Active Rehearsal

A common application of rehearsal is the memorization of multiplication tables. For instance, learning mathematical facts such as 6 x 6 = 36 and 6 x 7 = 42 is achieved through the conscious repetition of this information until it is successfully encoded into long-term memory.

Example of Rehearsal: Learning Multiplication Tables

Memory strategies can be used in combination for greater effectiveness. For instance, after organizing a phone number into manageable chunks, one can then use rehearsal by consciously repeating the chunked number to aid in memorization.

Combining Chunking and Rehearsal

A student needs to remember a new locker combination: 24-12-36. To commit it to memory, the student silently says 'twenty-four, twelve, thirty-six' to themselves repeatedly while walking to class. Which of the following best describes the technique this student is employing?

Rehearsal is a memory-enhancing strategy that involves the conscious repetition of information that needs to be remembered. According to Craik & Watkins (1973), this process is utilized to transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

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Short-term memory (STM) serves as a temporary storage system that processes incoming information from sensory memory. It is capable of retaining a limited amount of data for a brief duration of 15 to 30 seconds. While in this active state, short-term memory can also integrate new sensory input with existing knowledge retrieved from long-term memory. Although often confused with working memory, short-term memory is more accurately classified as a distinct sub-component within the broader working memory framework.

Short-term Memory (STM)

Long-term memory (LTM) is the system for continuous and permanent storage of information, characterized by a practically limitless capacity. It holds memories for extended periods, from minutes to a lifetime. Fundamentally, LTM is divided into two main categories: implicit memory, which is unconscious, and explicit memory, which involves conscious recall. Information within LTM is typically organized into complex, structured networks.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Memory enhancing strategies are various techniques used to improve the encoding and recall of information. These methods include organizing information through chunking, conscious repetition via rehearsal, and using memory aids known as mnemonic devices. Other effective techniques are expressive writing and saying words aloud.

Memory Enhancing Strategies

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

A promising avenue for improvement of short-term memory (STM) capacity has been the introduction of mindfulness meditation (MM). Mindfulness interventions can improve attentional control and reduce psychological stress, two especially vital processes of working memory (WM) performance. 

Mindfulness approach to improving short-term memory (STM)

Short-term memory is the result of strengthening the preexisting proteins in the synapses. Contrastingly, long-term memory comes from the creation of new synaptic connections. In other words, long-term memory changes the anatomy of the brain, but short-term memory does not.   

Memory's Relationship to the Synapses

Rehearsal

A helpful analogy for understanding short-term memory is comparing it to a computer screen. The information currently displayed on the monitor, such as an active document, represents short-term memory—it is immediately accessible but temporary. To retain this information permanently, it must be saved to the computer's hard drive, which corresponds to long-term memory. If the application is closed without saving, the data is lost, just as information in short-term memory is discarded.

Computer Screen Analogy for Short-Term Memory

Peterson and Peterson (1959) investigated short-term memory using trigrams, which are three-letter sequences such as CLS. Participants were asked to recall these trigrams after delays ranging from 3 to 18 seconds. The results showed that participants recalled approximately 80% of the trigrams after a 3-second delay, but this dropped to only 10% after an 18-second delay, leading the researchers to conclude that short-term memory decays within 18 seconds.

Peterson and Peterson's Study on Short-Term Memory Decay

Based on the principles of information storage, explain why the person likely forgot the phone number. Your explanation should focus on the characteristics of the specific, temporary memory system being used to hold the number before dialing.

Forgetting a Phone Number

Although the terms 'short-term memory' and 'working memory' are frequently used interchangeably, they represent distinct psychological concepts. Short-term memory specifically refers to the temporary storage system holding incoming sensory information. In contrast, working memory is a more comprehensive system that encompasses this temporary storage. Consequently, short-term memory is most accurately conceptualized as a sub-component operating within the larger working memory framework.

Distinction Between Short-Term Memory and Working Memory

The retention of information in short-term memory is influenced by two factors: memory trace decay and interference.

Factors Affecting Short-Term Memory Retention

1. Encoding into Short-term Memory 
2. Consolidation into Long-term Memory 
3. Retrieval into Future Behavior 

System for Creating and Retaining Memories 

Abraham, W. C., Jones, O. D., & Glanzman, D. L. (2019). Is plasticity of synapses the mechanism of long-term memory storage? Nature Partner Journals: Science of Learning, 4(9), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0048-y



Abraham et al., 2019

Martin, S. J., Grimwood, P. D., & Morris, R. G. (2000). Synaptic plasticity and memory: an evaluation of the hypothesis. Annual review of neuroscience, 23, 649–711. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.649

Martin et al., 2000

Once information reaches long-term memory, it must be consolidated. This consolidation process occurs at two distinct stages: at the synaptic level, which takes a few hours, and into the broader memory system, which can take weeks or longer.

Levels of Memory Consolidation

According to the theory by Collins & Loftus (1975), long-term memories are structured in semantic, or associative, networks. These networks consist of interconnected concepts, with the connection strength determined by the frequency of their association. The specific organization of these networks is unique to each individual, as they are shaped by personal experiences.

Semantic Networks in Long-Term Memory

Long-term memory is broadly categorized into two main types: explicit and implicit. This distinction is crucial because various factors, such as the aging process, specific kinds of brain trauma, and certain disorders, can selectively affect one type of memory while leaving the other intact.

Types of Long-Term Memory: Explicit and Implicit

Analyze the individual's actions described in the case study below. Identify the two primary categories of long-term memory being demonstrated and explain how each part of the scenario corresponds to one of these categories.

Analyzing Memory in Action

Long-term memory is organized hierarchically into explicit memory and implicit memory. Explicit memory is further divided into episodic memory (for events and experiences) and semantic memory (for concepts and facts). Implicit memory is subdivided into procedural memory (for how to do things), priming (where stimulus exposure affects responses to a later stimulus), and emotional conditioning (for classically conditioned emotional responses).

Long-Term Memory Subsystems Hierarchy

Chunking is a memory strategy that involves organizing information into smaller, more manageable bits or chunks. As noted by Bodie, Powers, & Fitch-Hauser (2006), this method is particularly useful for remembering series of items like dates and phone numbers.

Chunking

Mnemonic devices are memory aids that help organize information for encoding, making it easier to recall. According to Bellezza (1981), they are particularly effective for recalling larger sets of information, such as steps, stages, phases, and parts of a system. Common applications include remembering lists like the order of the planets, a person's name, a mathematical formula, or the sequence of mathematical operations.

Mnemonic Devices

Expressive writing is a technique that can enhance short-term memory. A 2008 study by Masao Yogo and Shuji Fujihara found that participants who wrote about traumatic life experiences for 20-minute intervals over several weeks showed an increase in their short-term memory capacity. This effect was specific to writing about trauma, as it was not observed in participants who wrote about their best possible future or trivial topics.

Expressive Writing as a Memory Strategy

Saying a word aloud is a memory-enhancing technique supported by research from MacLeod et al. (2010). This method, which can improve memory for words by over 10%, is effective because vocalization increases a word's distinctiveness. The strategy is also effective if the words are simply mouthed rather than spoken aloud, and it can be applied to various tasks, such as remembering a shopping list or studying.

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