1) Memory - Evaluation Flashcards
What is a limitation of coding?
P - The stimuli used was artificial rather than meaningful
E - When processing more meaningful/personal information, people may use semantic coding
for STM tasks.
E - Should be cautious about generalising the findings
I - Therefore suggesting that the findings from this study have limited application.
Give two limitations for capacity?
P - Jacobs research lacks validity as it was conducted a long time ago
E - Early research often lacked control and participants could have been distracted.
E - Results would then not be valid as there were confounding variables that were not controlled.
CA - Although, results of the study have been confirmed in other research which supports its validity.
P - Miller may have overestimated the capacity or STM.
E - Cowan reviewed other research and concluded that capacity is was only around 4 chunks.
Give a limitation for the duration of memory
P - P&P’s study used artificial stimuli.
E - Memorising consonant syllables does not reflect real life
situations which usually are more meaningful.
E - It lacks external validity.
Give a strength for the duration of memory
P - Bahrick et al’s study has higher external validity (P&P)
E - Real life memories were studied
E - when LTM was tested using meaningless pictures, recall rates were lower.
CA - Although using real life research means that confounding variables are not controlled (participants may have looked at their yearbook photos previously)
Give a strength of the MSM
P - Research support showing that STM and LTM are qualitatively different.
E - Study clearly shows that coding in STM is acoustic
Give two limitations of the MSM
P - Evidence amnesia sufferers suggests that there is more than one type of STM store.
E - Shalice and Warrington studied a patient called KF, they found that his STM was poor for digits when they were read out but not when he read them himself.
Further research suggests that there is another store for non-verbal sounds.
E - This suggests that there could be other stores involved.
P - Research suggests that there is more than one type of rehearsal.
E - Craik and Watkins found that the type of rehearsal is more important than just the amount of times you rehearse information.
E - This was known as maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal is needed for long term storage and involves linking information your existing knowledge.
L - This finding cannot be explained by the MSM.
Give two strengths of the WMM
P - Shalice and Warrington’s case study on KF supports the WMM.
E - After his brain damage, KF had poor STM for auditory information but could process visual information normally.
E - This suggests that his phonological loop was damaged.
L - This supports the existence of separate visual and acoustic stores.
CA - Although evidence from brain damaged patients may not be reliable as cases are quite unique.
P - Dual task performance studies support the existence of the VSS.
E - Baddeley et al showed that participants had more difficulty doing two visual tasks than doing a visual and verbal task.
E - This was hard it used the same slave system.
L - Therefore there must be a separate slave system that processes visual input.
Give a limitation of the WMM
P - Cognitive psychologists suggest that the central executive of the WMM is unsatisfactory.
E - Baddeley recognised this himself and said that it is the “most important but the least understood component”
E - Needs to be explained more some psychologists believe it consists of separate components.
L - So the WMM hasn’t been fully explained.
Give a limitation of the CI
P - Takes longer than the standard interview.
E - Witnesses must be given time to relax and it also requires special training.
E - Therefor, there is limited practical application.
Give a strength of the CI
P - Some elements may be more valuable than others.
E - Although each technique produced more information than a standard interview, Milne and Bull found that using a combo of report everything and reinstate the context reduced better recall than the other conditions.
E - This is a strength as it suggests that at least these elements should be used.
L - Therefore increasing the credibility of the CI
Give a strength of the ECI
P - There is research support of the ECI.
E - A meta-analysis by Konnken et al combined data from 50 studies.
E - It was shown that the ECI constantly provided more correct information than the standard interview by police.
L - This is a strength as it indicates that there is real life application to the ECI.
