Serial memory processing

(noun)

The act of attending to and processing one item at a time.

Related Terms

Examples of Serial memory processing in the following topics:

  • Serial and Parallel Processing

    • Serial memory processing compares a memory to a target stimulus, while parallel processing carries out multiple operations simultaneously.
    • Serial memory processing is the act of attending to and processing one item at a time, while parallel memory processing is the act of attending to and processing all items simultaneously.
    • Serial memory processing compares internal representations of the memory set to a target stimulus or item is being presented, one at a time.
    • If the reaction time slope for a positive trial (where the target was present in the memory set) is about half of the slope for a negative trial (where the target was not present in the memory set), this demonstrates self-terminating processing .
    • Participants may process some serial memory sets using the self-terminating method and others with the exhaustive method.

  • Memory Retrieval: Recognition and Recall

    • Memory retrieval, including recall and recognition, is the process of remembering information stored in long-term memory.
    • Memory retrieval is the process of remembering information stored in long-term memory.
    • This is called serial recall and can be used to help cue memories.
    • When recalling serial items presented as a list (a common occurrence in memory studies), two effects tend to surface: the primacy effect and the recency effect.
    • Like serial recall, free recall is subject to the primacy and recency effects.

  • Network Models of Memory

    • According to network models of memory, the connections between neurons are the source of memories, and the strength of connections corresponds to how well a memory is stored.
    • Network models of memory storage emphasize the role of connections between stored memories in the brain.
    • The parallel distributed processing (PDP) model is an example of a network model of memory, and it is the prevailing connectionist approach today.
    • Taking its metaphors from the field of computer science, this model stresses the parallel nature of neural processing.
    • "Parallel processing" is a computing term; unlike serial processing (performing one operation at a time), parallel processing allows hundreds of operations to be completed at once—in parallel.

  • Introduction to Memory Storage

    • Memory storage is achieved through the process of encoding, through either short- or long-term memory.
    • During the process of memory encoding, information is filtered and modified for storage in short-term memory.
    • Items stored in short-term memory move to long-term memory through rehearsal, processing, and use.
    • These types of amnesia indicate that memory does have a storage process.
    • In order to explain the recall process, however, a memory model must identify how an encoded memory can reside in memory storage for a prolonged period of time until the memory is accessed again, during the recall process.

  • The Fallibility of Memory

    • Memories can be encoded poorly or fade with time; the storage and recovery process is not flawless.
    • Memory is not perfect.
    • Storing a memory and retrieving it later involves both biological and psychological processes, and the relationship between the two is not fully understood.
    • Encoding is the process of converting sensory input into a form able to be processed and stored in the memory.
    • However, this process can be impacted by a number of factors, and how well information is encoded affects how well it is able to be recalled later.

  • Introduction to the Process and Types of Memory

    • Encoding (or registration): the process of receiving, processing, and combining information.
    • In this first stage we must change the information so that we may put the memory into the encoding process.
    • Storage is the second memory stage or process in which we maintain information over periods of time.
    • However, items can be moved from short-term memory to long-term memory via processes like rehearsal.
    • Summarize which types of memory are necessary to which stage of the process of memory storage

  • Short-Term and Working Memory

    • Rehearsal is the process in which information is kept in short-term memory by mentally repeating it.
    • It also links the working memory to the long-term memory, controls the storage of long-term memory, and manages memory retrieval from storage.
    • The process of storage is influenced by the duration in which information is held in working memory and the amount that the information is manipulated.
    • The process of transferring information from short-term to long-term memory involves encoding and consolidation of information.
    • In this process, the meaningfulness or emotional content of an item may play a greater role in its retention in the long-term memory.

  • Neural Correlates of Memory Storage

    • Many areas of the brain have been associated with the processes of memory storage.
    • Imaging research and lesion studies have led scientists to conclude that certain areas of the brain may be more specialized for collecting, processing, and encoding specific types of memories.
    • The hippocampus may be involved in changing neural connections for at least three months after information is initially processed.
    • The processes of consolidating and storing long-term memories have been particularly associated with the prefrontal cortex, cerebrum, frontal lobe, and medial temporal lobe.
    • However, the permanent storage of long-term memories after consolidation and encoding appears to depend upon the connections between neurons, with more deeply processed memories having stronger connections.

  • Repressed Memories

    • However, whether these memories are actively repressed or forgotten due to natural processes is unclear.
    • Traumatic memories are encoded differently than memories of ordinary experiences.
    • Given research showing how unreliable memory is, it is possible that any attempt to "recover" a repressed memory runs the risk of implanting false memories.
    • Researchers who are skeptical of the idea of recovered memories note how susceptible memory is to various manipulations that can be used to implant false memories (sometimes called "pseudomemories").
    • While this experiment does show that false memories can be implanted in some subjects, it cannot be generalized to say that all recovered memories are false memories.

  • Transience and Encoding Failure

    • Encoding is the process of converting sensory input into a form able to be processed and deposited in the memory .
    • This process can be impacted by a number of factors.
    • Memory is associative by nature; commonalities between points of information will not only reinforce old memories, but serve to ease the establishment of new ones.
    • It is posited that during sleep, our working memory is converted into long-term memory.
    • There is a limited capacity of working memory, so little can be remembered at a later time unless the information is encoded to long-term memory.