PSCH 352, Summer 2005             
Memory Diary Assignment (inspired by Stellan Ohlsson)
Due Thursday, 6/30/05, worth 10 points

This memory diary assignment is designed to help you see that the phenomena that cognitive
psychologists study relate to experiences we all have in our daily lives. We are asking you
to consider how topics covered in the course are useful for understanding daily events and
what they mean with respect to normal intellectual functioning.    

This activity has two parts, a diary and a write-up that you will hand in for credit.

Record 5 memory failures that happen to you during the next few weeks. For example, you
might forget to mail a letter. Describe in your diary the circumstances: where were you, what
were you doing, what was your intention, and what did you do instead? Or you might forget
a person’s name. Describe in your diary the circumstances, how familiar was this person, why
were you trying to recall his/her name, and so on.

In general, write down the following in your diary for each memory failure: Where were you?
What were you doing there? Who else was there? What was your goal or purpose at the time?
What were you trying to remember? What happened? Did you remember the forgotten item
eventually?

Your report must include a description of each event and also relate them to the course, that is,
what memory phenomenon, concept, or principle each failure exemplifies or illustrates, and why. 
Some memory phenomena, concepts, and principles you may want to consider in analyzing your
memory failures include: decay, proactive interference, retroactive interference, not encoding
something properly, retrieval failure, schemata issues, and the reconstructive nature of memory,
but please feel free to include other phenomena/concepts/principles as well.

The description of the event is essentially what you recorded in your diary written in a coherent
narrative.  The discussion of how an event relates to memory should describe why/how each
event relates to memory, what the event demonstrates about the nature of memory, and/or how
observing and thinking about this event has changed the way you think about memory. 

Each entry should begin with a heading that lists the date and the title of your memory failure
(be creative).  As a rule of thumb, you should describe each event (type up your diary entry)
in roughly a half-page.  Then spend roughly a half-page analyzing your memory failure by
relating it to what you’ve learned about memory.  At the end, you should summarize your
findings – are there any themes in the type of memory failures you’ve experienced?  Do
you keep forgetting the same type of things?

Your final report should be no longer than 5 pages, typed and double-spaced.