After sleep, how much of their memory do people retain — and where is that memory when a name will not come to mind?
The first half of that question is a measurement: a recall or recognition score after sleep. The second half is a claim about retrieval. Memory as a construct is inferred from what people do, say, or produce (the Research Methods lessons on constructs and operational definitions treat that point). Intro texts split the construct into encoding, storage, and retrieval (Myers & DeWall, 2021; Spielman et al., 2020). A name that later comes back to mind was not necessarily gone from storage. Retrieval failed, then succeeded.
What is being used when you hold a phone number long enough to dial it?
Working memory: a limited-capacity system for holding and manipulating information in the moment. Figure 12.1 is the three-process split so a paper that says “memory was affected” can be asked which process the procedure actually touched. Cognitive Psychology will split this further.
| Process | Job | In the examples |
|---|---|---|
| encoding | Convert experience into a trace | Hearing or seeing the names before sleep |
| storage | Retain the trace over time | The hours of sleep |
| retrieval | Access the trace | Writing the names; a name coming back to mind |
Check yourself with a quick quiz
A few questions on this lesson only. Questions you miss come back later. Progress stays in this browser and is shared with the full quiz.
References
- Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2021). Psychology (13th ed.). Worth.
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax.
Image and media credits
- Top image. Small objects laid out on a cloth for a memory test. It sets the scene for this lesson on memory. Source: Created for this site with Grok Imagine (xAI), an AI image generator. License: Original image made for mattgaugerx.com.
