Chapter 5-Long-Term Memory

1. Long-term memory encompasses engrained memories stored which can be recalled when something/someone reminds you or asks you to remember something. Everyone's long-term memory can be affected by personal experiences (schema), exaggerating a situation based on our experience, or even allowing our emotions to change how we viewed a situation at that time now stored in our memory. Long-term memory is stored memory and includes episodic, procedural memory, and semantic memory.
2. In chapter 2 of how people learn, the text discussed chess players and how they are experts in their field. It then went on to describe how those experts use chunking when storing information (chess moves) in their brains, apply critical thinking to many aspects of their game rather than a simple formula, and have an extensive recall. Pages 141-142 in Matlin reinforced the information from the online text and was consistent with the same information.
3. I am still unclear on the eyewitness testimony section. I understand that one's memory can become skewed and not able to clearly remember the situation exactly, especially after a longer amount of time has passed, but then why did psychologists allow shallow research prior to the 90's? Why is it that eyewitnesses were key in a court case but yet now they have placed many lives at stake due to lack of research on a topic that could have mistakenly killed many innocent people?!
4. I believe that the implicit and explicit memory tasks struck me for my profession along with the schema. It's important for me to keep in mind that the two tasks should be used in equal amounts to truly get an accurate understanding or assessment on students. The schema is super important for reading because everytime you read, you should apply your schema in order to connect and grow deeper into your text so you might remember it rather than forgetting it. This whole week I just wondered how I could better build schema for my students so they might have a better understanding of their text. (A lot of my students have not even had the experience or memory of going to a shopping mall!)
5. I am beginning to wonder just how biased the author is. On page 148, the author begins to give her opinion about Bush's reasonings for war. I began to wonder how biased she is and if the studies she has included are studies that only support her theory beliefs. Also, page 150 had a study completed by 2 people (I'd hate to even say researchers) and there was not a credible source sited, just the date the study was completed. How valid is this?
6. The study on memory is important because it allows us to research and find there are many differences between how we perceive situations and therefore how they are stored in our memory. I also must say it has completely made a difference in eyewitness testimonies since they are no longer held as the greatest evidence in a case. Memory is also important in improving how we teach students with recall. It helps us, as educators, to figure out how to engrain important info into our students but more importantly how to recall it.
7. I would use this info with my low reading students in making sure their schema is correctly built and they perceive situations accurately. By allowing students to access their schema, it is allowing it to stay used and ready for quick recall.
8. I am thinking the September 11th study was completed in a cheaper, faster method. They only saw the participants twice and we had no idea of their background or schema that may have effected their answers. The researchers also did not have them fill out a questionairre or cared to find out where they were during the time of the attack. There was no control group so how were they in reliability?