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CHAPtER 7 MeMory

189
The more retrieval cues you’ve encoded,
Time in minutes the better your chances of finding a path
taken to relearn 20 to the memory suspended in this web
list on Day 2 of information. The best retrieval cues
come from associations we form when
15 we encode a memory — smells, tastes,
and sights that evoke our memory of the
As rehearsal associated person or event (Tamminen &
increases, Mebude, 2019). Retrieval cues are like pass-
relearning time
10 decreases. words that open memories.
FIGURE 7.10 Ebbinghaus’ We need memory for both our past
retention curve The more times (called retrospective memory) and for
he practiced a list of nonsense what actions may lie ahead (prospective
5 syllables on Day 1, the less time memory). To remember to do something
he required to relearn it on Day 2. (say, to text someone before you go out),
0 Speed of relearning is one measure
8 16 24 32 42 53 64 of memory retention. (Data from one effective strategy is to mentally asso-
Number of repetitions of list on Day 1 Baddeley, 1982.) ciate the act with a cue (perhaps putting
your phone by the door) (Rogers & Milkman,
familiar faces to trigger a food reward demonstrate that we remember more than 2016). It pays to plan ahead, which helps
(Newport et al., 2016). we can recall. explain why most people spend more
Our response speed when recalling time thinking about their future than
or recognizing information indicates REtRIEVE REMEMBER their past (Anderson & McDaniel, 2019).
memory strength, as does our speed at
relearning. Memory explorer Ebbinghaus ANSWERS IN APPENDIX F Priming
showed this in the nineteenth century by 10. Multiple- choice questions test our Often associations are activated with-
studying his own learning and memory test our . Fill- in- the- blank questions out your awareness. Seeing or hearing
.
(FIGURE 7.10). 11. If you want to be sure to remember what the word rabbit can activate associations
Put yourself in Ebbinghaus’ shoes. you’re learning for an upcoming test, would with hare, even though you may not
How could you produce new items to it be better to use recall or recognition to recall having seen or heard rabbit (Bower,
learn? Ebbinghaus’ answer was to form check your memory? Why? 1986) (FIGURE 7.11). Although this pro-
a big list of nonsense syllables by sand- cess, called priming, happens with-
wiching a vowel between two conso- out your conscious awareness, it can
nants. Then, for a particular experiment, RETRIEVAL CUES influence your attitudes and your
he would randomly select a sample of LOQ 7-15 How do external events, behavior. Priming people with threat-
the syllables, practice them, and test internal moods, and order of appearance ening (versus pleasant) images causes
himself. To get a feel for his experiments, affect memory retrieval? them to evaluate other people negatively
rapidly read aloud the following list of (Lai & Wilson, 2021). Similarly, our learned
syllables, repeating it eight times (from Imagine a spider suspended in the mid- stereotypes — of which we may not be
Baddeley, 1982). Then, without looking, try dle of her web, held up by the many consciously aware — can prime our per-
to recall the items: strands extending outward from her ceptions and actions that feed prejudice
in all directions to different points. You
JIH, BAZ, FUB, YOX, SUJ, XIR, DAX, could begin at any one of these anchor and discrimination (see Chapter 11).
LEQ, VUM, PID, KEL, WAV, TUV, ZOF, points and follow the attached strand to
GEK, HIW.
the spider. recall memory demonstrated by retrieving
The day after learning such a list, Retrieving a memory is similar. Mem- information learned earlier, as on a fill- in-
Ebbinghaus recalled only a few of the ories are held in storage by a web of the- blank test.
syllables. But were they entirely forgot- associations, each piece of information recognition memory demonstrated by
ten? No. The more often he practiced the connected to many others. Suppose you identifying items previously learned, as on
list aloud on Day 1, the fewer times he encode into your memory the name of a multiple- choice test.
would have to practice it to relearn it on the person sitting next to you in class. relearning memory demonstrated by time
Day 2. For students, this means that it With that name, you will also encode saved when learning material again.
helps to rehearse course material over other bits of information, such as your retrieval cue any stimulus (event,
time, even after you know it. Better to surroundings, mood, seating position, feeling, place, and so on) linked to a
rehearse and overlearn than relax and and so on. These bits serve as retrieval specific memory.
remember too little. cues, anchor points for pathways you priming the activation, often
The point to remember: Tests of rec- can follow to access your classmate’s unconsciously, of particular associations in
ognition and of time spent relearning name when you need to recall it later. memory.

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