PSYC 305 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Explicit Memory, Spreading Activation, Implicit Memory
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Cognitive Psychology (Psy305) lecture, Spring 2018
Potential questions for exam 2 (memory)
Short answer questions. Be specific, in other words, don’t assume any knowledge on my
part. Five of these will be presented on the exam and you will choose four of them to
answer. Complete sentences will not be required unless necessary for clarity of your
response. Make sure you answer the entire question.
1. Describe the Collins/Quillian/Loftus model of semantic memory. What does this tell
us about the structure and the process of memory retrieval from semantic memory?
Pg 161 Slide 19
Semantic memory is one of the two types of declarative or explicit memory.
Semantic memory refers to general world knowledge that we have accumulated
throughout our lives.
The Collins, Quillian, and Loftus model was based on a network metaphor of
memory. Collins and Quillian viewed the concepts of semantic memory as being nodes in
a network. At the heart of the model were fundamental assumptions about the structure
and retrieval processes of semantic memory. A network is an interrelated set of concepts/
body of knowledge. A node is a point or location in the network representing a single
concept. And a pathway is a labeled directional associations between concepts.
Accessing and retrieving information from the network:
Through spreading activation when presented with a concept activation spreads in
the network. Spreading activation is a method for searching associative networks, neural
networks, or semantic networks. Or through intersection search which is used to verify
sentences. Intersection search: as soon as a word is parsed (broken down and analysed) it
spreads like a 'plague', by activating all its links, whih activate their links and so on....
until it reaches a node it has already 'touched' this links the two nodes semantically
(length of path= semantic distance). It records its where it came from so it can trace
where it started.
Used sentence verification task (a canary is a bird, an ostrich is abird..). Semantic
Memory is organized knowledge. Procedures used to study: Sentence verification task -
measures latency to respond to a sentence ("a canary is a bird"). The idea is that latency
reflects organization. Simple sentences are presented with yes or no answers, two
concepts closer in the network take less time to verify than two that are further apart.
2. Outline Larry Squire’s memory taxonomy. What do these processes tell us about
memory in general?
Pg 174 figure 6.1 slides chapter 6 first 4
Memory is divided into various ways. Declarative and Nondeclarative memory
Declarative is explicit memory which focuses on facts and events. Nondeclarative
memory is implicit which foucses more on skills and habits, priming, simple classical
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conditioning, and nonassociative learning. Declarative or explicit memory is long term
meory knowledge that is retrieved and reflected on consciously. Nondeclrative or implicit
memory is knowledge that influences thought and behavior without any necessary
involvement of consciousness.
Explicit memory is split into epidsodic and semantic memory. Episodic memory is the
memory of the personally experiences events. When you retried that indormation youa re
conscious of it, you can talk about it. Episodic memory enables you to record your
personal history. Semantic meoery is general world knowledge, you retrieve the concept
of a driver’s license and it is in your conscious awareness. Episodic memory is your
mental slide show while semantic memory is your mental encyclopedia both involve
knowledge that you can be consciously aware of.
• Explicit (Declarative)
– Episodic (events)
– Semantic (facts)
• Implicit (Nondeclarative)
– Procedural (skills and habits)
– Priming
– Associative—classical conditioning
– Non-associative learning
• Episodic
– Personal
– Autobiographical
– Different for everyone
• Semantic
– General world knowledge
• Thesaurus
• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia
3. Describe current issues and/or paradigms used to study consciousness.
Remember to define all your terms.
A large part of the existing confusion in contemporary psychology could be reduced with
an integration of the existing paradigms. Up to now, classical physics has been the model
to follow in science, and the concept of consciousness is not necessary in that area,
except maybe in quantum mechanics; however this concept could be indispensable to
conceptually solve the majority of psychological issues. A conceptual metaphor is
proposed that assumes that all psychological phenomena (i.e. the expression of
consciousness) should be studied simultaneously from three viewpoints or paradigms:
physiological, behavioral, and cognitive. As an example, emotion (a form of
consciousness) should be investigated with three kinds of measures: physiological
correlates, verbal responses and video recording for observing behavior. Each category of
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data should be treated using the appropriate methodology, derived from its paradigm, in
this way the congruence among the three aspects of the individual consciousness could be
verified. It is also important to place the system that we are interested in (for instance
emotion) in its appropriate level in the evolutionary scale, in order to find the sub-
systems and context. A geometric metaphor is proposed, a tetrahedre, that visually shows
the paradigms and evolutionary levels of consciousness. The sphere around the tetrahedre
represents the context of human consciousness: the social environment.
Fighter pilots and G-forces study.
Normal awake: fully aware/conscious, daydreaming, semi-awareness, hypno? REM sleep
(in consciousness PP).
Issues: consciousness is hard to study
For sleep: study altered consciousness states: Buddhist monks... how are they able to
meditate like they are?
Memory information slides (explicit v implicit phenomena)
Abstract concept of consciousness found in the Claustrum
Explicit
Immediate memory
Novel stimuli
Attended input
Effortful
Remembering
Implicit
Long-term memory
Routine stimuli
Unattended stimuli*
Automatic
Knowing
*(think of attention models
and/or inattentional blindness)
Consciousness: ambiguous term with the phe
- Abstract concept, difficult to locate
- Thin sheet of neurons - claustrum
- Sleep states – EEG brain waves during the sleep
- Last powerpoint
4. Describe an experimental paradigm used to study some aspect of short-term memory.
What does this tell us about short-term memory processes?
Ch 5 pg 110
Short term memory is the capacity for holding, but not manipulating, a small amount of
information in mind in an active, readily available state for a short period of time. For
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Document Summary
Be specific, in other words, don"t assume any knowledge on my part. Five of these will be presented on the exam and you will choose four of them to answer. Complete sentences will not be required unless necessary for clarity of your response. Make sure you answer the entire question: describe the collins/quillian/loftus model of semantic memory. Semantic memory refers to general world knowledge that we have accumulated throughout our lives. Semantic memory is one of the two types of declarative or explicit memory. The collins, quillian, and loftus model was based on a network metaphor of memory. Collins and quillian viewed the concepts of semantic memory as being nodes in a network. At the heart of the model were fundamental assumptions about the structure and retrieval processes of semantic memory. A network is an interrelated set of concepts/ body of knowledge. A node is a point or location in the network representing a single concept.
