1.2 - Memory (Set B - Types of LTM And Explanations For Forgetting)

Question 1

Explain the 3 types of long-term memory?

Answer 1

• episodic memory
• procedural memory
• semantic memory

Question 2

Outline and explain episodic memory - what are the features?

Answer 2

Memories which are personal and have meaning to us (eg a wedding or first job)

• time stamped - may not remember exact date but can likely time stamp to the time of year or month
• can make conscious effort to recall details of event/actively think about memory - explicit memory

Question 3

Outline and explain semantic memory - what are the features?

Answer 3

Knowledge of the world (people/places/facts)

• not time stamped - don’t remember when or how we know the information
• have to deliberately recall facts - explicit memory

can start as episodic memory but over time loose association and remain as semantic

Question 4

Outline and explain procedural memory - what are the features?

Answer 4

memories on how we do things, include memory’s of previously learned skills

• can recall how to do these things without actively thinking about them (becomes automatic)
• require practise and repetition - they are implicit (find them difficult to explain, even if we find the actions easy

Question 5

Give research support for different types of LTM - focus on case study of HM?

Answer 5

Ability to form LTM was affected by destruction of hippocampus - could still form new procedural memories but not episodic or semantic

• eg was able to learn how to draw a figure by looking at its reflection in a mirror (example of procedural memory) - however he had no memory he learned this (episodic/semantic memory)

Question 6

outline research support - focus on brain scans for types of LTM?

Answer 6

• episodic memory associated with hippocampus and parts of temporal lobe - along with activity in frontal lobe
• semantic memory relies on temporal lobe
• procedural memory associated with cerebellum

indivats that there are 3 types of memory found in diffident parts of the brain and so are separate

Question 7

Outline 2 explanations for forgetting?

Answer 7

• interference
• retrieval failure

Question 8

Explain the interference explanation for forgetting?

Answer 8

Occurs when two pieces of information conflict with each other - results in some distortion of memory (results in forgetting of one or both)

• involved with LTM - as LTM is permanent we don’t forget information but we can’t get access to them

Question 9

Explain the type of interference - proactive interference, give an example?

Answer 9

Occurs when an older memory interferes with a newer one - eg teacher learned so many names in the past, they have difficulty remembering names of there current class

Question 10

Explain the type of interference - retroactive interference, give an example?

Answer 10

Happens when a newer memory interferes with an older one - eg your teacher has learned so many names this year, they have trouble remembering the names of students last year

Question 11

Outline research into interference explanation for forgetting - Howe study?

Answer 11

• involved 4 and 6 year old children, in the control condition children were given a list of 8 pictures to learn while the children undergoing the experimental condition had to learn 2 picture lists, one after the other - following an interval of 24 hours children were asked to recall either

- items from the picture list they had learned (control)
- items from only first picture learnt (half of experimental)
- items from both pictures learnt (half of experimental)

Question 12

What can be concluded from research into interference as an explanation for forgetting - Howe study?

Answer 12

Participants who learned both lists experienced interferences during storage of the lists - resulted in the unlearning of the first picture list

Question 13

Outline the procedure of Baddeley and hitch real world study into interference as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 13

• Studied group of real rugby players in a real rugby season (natural study)
• interviewed players who had missed some games due to injury’s and suspensions - some players last game may have been last week for others it may have been a couple of months

Question 14

Outline the findings of Baddeley and hitch real world study into interference as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 14

Found recall for the last game was equally good wether that game was played some time ago or last week

• shows that incorrect recall was not due to decay (passage of time) but was related to number of interviewing games

if theory is correct those players who played the most games should forget more because of interference

Question 15

Explain why research into interference is quite artificial?

Answer 15

• most of the research used artificial lists of words - so findings may not relate to everyday uses of memory which tend to not involve word lists
• lots of research support though lab experiments - low ecological validity (highly controlled)
• participants may lack motivation to remember the links in such studies - may allow interference effects to appear stronger than they are

Question 16

Explain why interference only explains some situations of forgetting?

Answer 16

• two memories need to be quite similar, therefore interference is considered an unimportant explanation for forgetting - however it still plays a role in forgetting
• baddeley and hitch research suggests it provides a clear explanation

other theories are needed to provide a clear explanation for forgetting

Question 17

Explain the retrieval failure due to absence of cues explanation for forgetting?

Answer 17

Theory explains forgetting things in LTM as a retrievals failure - information is stored but cannot be accessed

• proposes that when we learn the information we also encode the context, eg the environment (external cues) and the mental state we are in, eg mood (internal cues)

cues help for recall

Question 18

Explain the procedure of Godden and Baddeley field experiment into retrieval failure due to the absence of cues as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 18

• conducted field experiment (involved real environment but tasks (IV) were manipulated)

4 different groups
- first learn words on beach
- second learn words on beach and recall under water
- third learn words under water and recall on beach
- fourth learn words under water and recall under water

Question 19

Explain the findings of Godden and Baddeley field experiment into retrieval failure due to the absence of cues as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 19

If they learn words and recalled them in the same location they could recall more words

shows that if you learnt something in an environment where you’ve encoded the information alongside cues you are more likely to recall it within the same environment

Question 20

Explain why there may be a problem with godden and baddeley field experiment which could explain the results?

Answer 20

difference between the number of words recalled underwater and land could be explained through the difference in conditions as the divers under water would have been experiencing the cold and current so may not have been fully focused

Question 21

Outline the procedure of Goodwins state dependent experiment regarding retrieval failure?

Answer 21

• involved 48 male, medical students in a 2 day experiment (first day training, second was testing) - each randomly assigned to 4 groups

Group 1 - sober on both days (SS)
Group 2 - alcohol both days (AA)
Group 3 - alcohol day ,1 sober day 2 (AS)
Group 4 sober day 1, alcohol day 2 (SA)

Participants had to perform 4 different tasks (word association test ext)

Given enough alcohol to be slightly intoxicated

Question 22

Outline the findings of Goodwins state dependent experiment regarding retrieval failure?

Answer 22

• Found more errors were made on day 2 in the AS and SA condition than in the AA and SS condition - SS participants performed best in all tasks

Participants who were in the AA group despite being drunk performed better in the tasks than those in AS and SA groups

Question 23

What can be concluded from Goodwins state dependent experiment regarding retrieval failure?

Answer 23

supports the state-dependent memory theory as the performance was best in participants who were sober or intoxicated on both days due to being in the same condition for learning and recall

• idea of internal cues (eg mood) aiding recall

Question 24

Evaluate Retrieval failure due to the absence of cues as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 24

• thought to be the best explanation for forgetting in LTM - has strongest evidence, most forgetting is likely due to retrieval failure (all memory available in LTM but we need right cue to assess it) strength
• evidence is artificial (recalling word lists ext), lacks meaning in real world - would be very difficult to test wether all information in LTM is accessible with the right cue weakness
• might not explain all types of memory - cues might not be relevant to procedural memory (eg riding a bike) weakness