1. How can I summarize this reading in a few sentences? Long term memory entails a lot of information: In Ch. 5 we learned that encoding is information embedded in your memory and retrieval is locating and accessing that information. Autobiographical memory refers to memory for events and topics related to your own everyday life.
2. How does it fit into what I have learned already in this course? I am currently using my working memory to remember back to the first day of this class. In my episodic memory I remember the sights, sounds, etc. of the first encounter into this classroom. My encoding of long term was my initial introduction to the professor and the rest of the classmates. I can remember a few faces and a few names, but I cannot put them together. My retrieval of this information is not very good. My autobiographical memory reminded me that there was another middle school language arts teacher in the class because it relates to what I teach. (I suppose this also goes along with the self-reference effect).
3. What am I still not clear on? Does everything need a label/name? If the self-reference effect is where you try to relate that information to yourself and the Autobiographical memory refers to memory for events and topics related to your own everyday life, then what is the difference between the two? It also states in the book that episodic memory and autobiographical memory are highly similar. How am I going to get this all straight?
4. How would apply this to my own teaching/work? At the beginning of the year or whenever I get a new student, I have my students either interview each other and stand up and introduce each other, or we'll play a game where we stand in a circle and the person holding the ball has to say their name and one thing positive about themselves, then they can toss the ball to another person. The next person has to say their name and something about themselves. At the very end, we go backwards to see if everyone can remember the person's name and the comment of the person who threw them the ball, plus they have to say their name again. (This helps the students remember the names better). Although most students know each other already, it is a good way to have the new student get to know everyone and build camaraderie.
5. What proof does the author offer that makes me believe this is valid? Do I believe it? Why? I know my friends' names without even thinking about it. However, when it is someone I just met, I have a more difficult time retrieving the name from my memory if I didn't encode it into my memory by using some tactic to make it stick (for instance, relating the person to someone else, using a nmemonic device, etc.)
6. Why is this important? What does it help improve or explain or predict? This is important because we need to know that we are normal. I use to think I just had a bad memory. Now I know I'm not the only one. On a more serious note, it helps me as a teacher be able to find ways to get my students to learn information long term, rather than just for a test and then lose the information.
7. When would I actually use this – under what kind of circumstances and for what kind of students? I can use this information to help all students learn ways to help them remember.
8. Are there other ways to accomplish the same thing that are faster, cheaper, and/or better? No, I don't think so?
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When I think about autobiographical memories vs the self reference effect, I see it as the way you trying to memorize or recall them that differentiates the two from one another. In my mind, which may not be right :), I see the autobiographical memory as memories that relate to you in themselves, things you have done, seen, etc. With self referencing, it is a way to connect an idea/ object/ thought/ whatever to yourself to link it to an autobiographical memory that you can already recall. I don't know if this helps you any!
ReplyDeleteFor number eight, there is nothing that you do to help you remember things manually without relying on your long term memory? If I don't have to, I chose not to memorize the things that I can write down. For example I have not memorized kitchen measurement conversions, and I probably wont, so I bought a magnet that has them done for me. While this is not faster or cheaper, it is a lot easier and more reliable!
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with you that there is a lot to learn and some of the terms do seem to overlap other terms. I find myself having to continually go back to the previous chapters to refresh myself on the meaning of certain terminology. I guess I have not yet used these new concepts enough to have them placed in my long-term memory. But then I do my best learning in "hands-on situations" and real life situations.
As far as your question about the difference between the self-reference effect and the Autobiographical memory, I think the self-reference effect is more of a procedure to help commit things to the long term memory, where autobiographical is retrieval of the memories. I also felt like self-reference was more effective and reliable than autobiographical.
I agree that the book tends to label each and every idea with a new name. I too have to go back and reread to make sure I am understanding everything correctly. Some of the ideas seem to be obvious, but yet have a fancy label attached with it.
ReplyDeleteYou talked about how you play the name game at the beginning of the year. I too do this with my kids in third grade. We will sit in a circle and the say "Hi my name is Jessica and I like to jumprope." They have to choose an activity with the same letter as their name. This attachment helps students remember many names in a short amount of time. Next weeks reading is about Memory development in infants and children. The reason I think we play these games is because we must give children strategies such as this one to help the memory process. They have not yet discovered how to use strategies as such on their own. It comes with age.