Psychology of

Memory
Dr. Ahmed Adel M. Abd Elgawad
MB. BCh Medicine and Surgery, Ain Shams University
Msc of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of medicine Ain Shams University
MD of psychiatry, Faculty of medicine Ain Shams University
Lecturer of psychiatry Faculty of medicine Ain Shams University
Head of Psychosocial and spiritual care Department at CCHE 57357
Consultant Psychiatrist
1. Recognize the definition of memory
2. Understand the different functions of
memory
3. Identify the different genes, anatomical
regions and neurotransmitters responsible
for memory

ILOs 4. Differentiate between various levels of

memory
5. Analyze different causes of
forgetfulness
6. Comprehend the various methods to
improve memory
7. Recognize the various disorders of
memory
8. Grasp the concepts of assessment
tools for memory
Memory is the information
Definition of processing and cognitive ability to
encode, store and retrieved
Memory: information.
• Encoding is the active process or putting information
into memory (learning). When information comes into
our memory system (from sensory input) it needs to be
changed into a form that the system can cope with, so
that it can be stored.
Functions
of • Storage is the process of holding encoded information
in memory until the time of retrieval. This concerns the

Memory: nature of memory stores i.e. where the information is

stored, how long the memory lasts for (duration), how
much can be stored at any time (capacity) and what
kind of information is held. The way we store
information affects the way we retrieved it. It is either
short-term memory or long-term memory.
• Retrieval is the process of using the information,
Functions which is stored in memory (remembering). If we

of cannot remember something it may be because we

are unable to retrieve it. When we are asked to

Memory: retrieve something from memory, the differences

between short-term memory and long-term memory
become very clear.
Anatomy of memory
Anatomical areas involved in memory:

• Hippocampus.
• Amygdala
• Temporal Lobe
• cerebellum
• Prefrontal cortex

Neurotransmitters involved in memory:

• Acetyl choline
• Serotonin
• Dopamine
• Nor-Epinephrine
• Some Neuropeptides
Types and Levels of
Memory:
A- Sensory Memory:
- Hold large amounts of information.
- Registered at the sense receptors
(auditory, visual etc.…)
- Very brief period (visual1/2 second and
auditory3 seconds).
- It is based on electrical changes.
B- Short Term Memory (STM):
- Limited capacity (7±2 bits of information).
- Limited duration (15-20 seconds).
- Limited storage.
- Encoding = we have to pay attention to the
information process.
Types and Levels - Forgetting occur by decay or displacement.

of Memory: - Information in STM could pass to long-

term memory LTM rehearsal or
consolidation.
- It is stored and retrieved sequentially. For
example, if a group of participants are given
a list of words to remember and then asked
to recall the fourth word on the list,
participants go through the list in the order
they heard to retrieve the information.
C- Long Term Memory:
- Unlimited capacity.
Types and Levels of - Very Long Duration.
Memory: - Permanent but subjected to
distortion or replacement.
- It is stored and retrieved by
association. Organizing information
can help and aid retrieval.
Types of long term memory:
- Procedural memory: is a apart of long term memory that is responsible, for
knowing how to do things i.e. memory of motor skills. It does not involve
conscious thought and is not declarative. For example how to ride a bicycle.
- Semantic memory: is a part of long-term memory that is responsible for storing
information about the world. This includes knowledge about the meaning of
words as well as general knowledge, for example, London is the capital of
England. It involves conscious thought and is declarative.
- Episodic memory: is a part of the long-term memory responsible for storing
information about events (i.e. episodes) that we have experience in our lives. It
involves conscious thought and declarative. An example would be a memory of
our 1st day at faculty.
1- Interference: It can be retroactive or proactive.
- Proactive interference: when an old memory makes it more
difficult or impossible to remember a new memory.
- Retroactive interference: when new information interferes
with the ability to remember previously learned information.
2- Repression: It is sometimes called motivated forgetting. It
Forgetting
Causes of

occurs when anxiety producing or traumatic events are forced

into the unconscious level of the mind (repression is a concept
introduced by Freud).
3- Failure of (encoding): one reason that we forget is because
we fail to encode the information so that the information never
entered the long term memory for example old age.
4- Failure of registration: consolidation and storage of the
learned materials. This may be due to changes in molecular
structures in the areas implicated such as hippocampus and
limbic system. It may be due to:
- Lesion or disease in these areas.
- Being under the effect of narcotics.
Forgetting

- Head trauma.
Causes of

5- Failure of retrieval; depends on

- The subject's emotional and physical state.
- The subject's interest and psychological state.
- Being under the effect of drugs.
To improve your memory the following
guidelines are helpful.
1- Retrieval: tends to be best when the situation in which retrieval takes place,
matches the situation that was present at encoding. The way we retrieve
information depends on the way this information was encoded.
2- Heightened emotionality at encoding generally creates memories that are
easier to retrieve.
3- Meaningfulness: in general meaningful material (or material that can be made
meaningful) is easier to retrieve than meaningless material.
To improve your memory the following
guidelines are helpful.
4- Mnemonic devices (encoding devices): these are strategies used a encoding in
order to help organization of the learned material to be retrieved easier e.g.
rhyming, chaining, mental images.

5- Over-Learning: this involves the rehearsal of information (encoding) more

than is needed for immediate recall. Within limit the more one over-learns, the
greater the likelihood of accurate retrieval.
To improve your memory the following
guidelines are helpful.
6- Visualize concepts to improve memory and recall: many people benefit
greatly from visualizing information they study.
7- Teach new concepts to another person: reading materials out loud
significantly improves memory. It has also discovered that having students
actually teach new concepts to others enhances understanding and recall.
8- Focus your attention on the materials you are studying: in order for
information to move from short term into long term, you need to actively attend
to this information. Avoid studying in places of distractions such as television,
music and other diversions.
To improve your memory the following
guidelines are helpful.
9- Avoid cramming by establishing regular study sessions: studying materials
over a number of sessions gives you the time you need to adequately process
the information. Remembering materials studied regularly is for better than
materials studied in one marathon session.
10- Rotate new information to things you already know: by establishing
relationships between new ideas and previously existing memories, you can
dramatically increase the likelihood of recalling the recently learned information.
11- Vary your study routine: change your study routine. If you are accustomed to
studying in one specific location, try moving to a different spot your next study
session. Novelty can increase effectiveness and improve your long term recall.
Amnesia: partial or total inability to recall past experience.
1- Psychogenic amnesias:
a. Anxiety amnesia: Anxiety tends to impair perception, concentration, understanding and
consequently memory. Depressed and anxious patients frequently complain of loss of
memory.
b. Dissociative or hysterical amnesia: there is loss of memory and identity but personality
remains intact.
Disorders of

2- Organic amnesia :
a. Transient global amnesia occurred due transient ischemic cerebral attaches (TICA)
b. Retrograde and anterograde amnesia:
Memory

- Retrograde amnesia: amnesia for events occurs before a point of time.

- Anterograde amnesia: amnesia for events occurs after a point of time.
They may occur in head injuries due to failure of encoding storage and registration of
information at the time around trauma.
- Amnesia for recent events occurs early in dementia.
- Amnesia for recent and remote events in advanced cases of dementia.
3- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Isolated memory impairment is a brain function
syndrome involving the onset and evolution of
cognitive impairments beyond those expected based
on the age and education of the individual, but which
Disorders of

are not significant enough to interfere with their daily

activities. It is often found to be a transitional stage
between normal aging and dementia. It is frequently
Memory

seen as a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Studies suggest that these individuals tend to
progress to probable Alzheimer’s disease at a rate of
approximately 10% to 15% per year
Memory The Wechsler Memory Scale
(WMS) is a neuropsychological
Assessment test designed to measure different
memory functions in a person. It
Scales can be used with people from age
16 through 90.
Thank you