3.1.2 Memory Flashcards
What is memory?
Process by which we retain information about events that happened in the past
Name the 3 jobs of memory
- Encoding
- Storage
- Retrieval
What is meant by encoding?
Transforming sensory inputs so it can registered in memory
What is meant by storage?
Retaining or holding info in memory until needed
What is meant by retrieval?
Locating info which has been stored and extracting it from memory
What does the multi-store model explain?
Explains how information flows from 1 storage system to another
Who made the multi-store model?
Atkinson & Shiffrin
Draw the multi-store model
What is the sensory memory register?
Store that contains information received through senses
What is the duration for the sensory memory register?
Limited but varies
Describe the research into the duration of the sensory memory register
- Presented identical auditory messages to both ears of participants with slight delay between messages
- Participants noticed messages were identical & there was delay of 2 seconds or less
- Suggests echoic store has max duration of 2 seconds
What is coding like for the sensory memory register?
5 different systems
- Echoic store - processes auditory info
- Iconic store - visual
- Haptic store - tactile
- Gustatory store - taste
- Olfactory store - smell
Describe the research into coding of the sensory memory register
- Crowder found evidence for these different forms of storage
- Iconic store = milliseconds
- Echoic store = up to 3 seconds
- Supports idea of info being coded into different sensory forms
What is the capacity for the sensory memory register?
Very large capacity (unprocessed info)
Describe the research into the capacity of the sensory memory register
- Flashed 3x4 gird of letters for 1/20 second
- Asked participants to recall letters of 1 row
- He would sound a tone (high, medium, low) to indicate which row to recall
- Recall of letters = high ∴ capacity of SR is large
What is short term memory (STM)?
Store for events in present or immediate past
What is the duration for the STM?
Short, 18-30s
Describe the research into the duration of the STM
Method
- Nonsense trigrams were read to participants (3 nonsensical constants e.g. ZNB)
- Then asked to count backwards in 3s from large-digit number (don’t to prevent rehearsal and transfer of information into LTM)
- Instructed to count backwards for anywhere from 3 up to 18 seconds
Describe the research into the duration of the STM
Findings
- Short period of time
- 18-30 seconds
- (3 seconds = 90% of them recall trigram correctly, 18 seconds = 5%)
Describe the research into the duration of the STM
Conclusion
Duration in STM = short, lasting less than 30 seconds
Describe the research into the duration of the STM
Evaluations
- Unlikely to represent how real-life memory work
- Recalling nonsense trigrams = lacks mundane realism
- Might be that real memory can only last up to 30 seconds
- Methodological issues
- Different trigrams were given to participants on each trial = interference could have occurred = more difficult to recall items
- Might be reason for poor recall rather than suggesting it’s due to short duration in memory
What is coding like for the STM?
Acoustically
Describe the research into coding of the STM
Method
Baddeley
- 75 participants presented with 4 word lists, repeated 4 times
- List A: Acoustically similar
- List B: Acoustically dissimilar
- List C: Semantically similar
- List D: Semantically dissimilar
Describe the research into coding of the STM
Findings
Acoustically similar list had lowest recall - 10%
Describe the research into coding of the STM
Conclusion
- Due to acoustic confusion = shows importance of sound in STM
- ∴ STM encodes acoustically
Describe the research into coding of the STM
Evaluations
- Pro: Cause and effect
- Cons
- Lacks ecological validity
- Acoustic is not only coding process
What is the capacity for the STM?
Limited capacity
5-9 items
Describe the research into the capacity of the STM
Method
- Presented with increasingly longer lists of digits or letters
- Had to recall them in right order
- 3.5% recall = reached their capacity
Describe the research into the capacity of the STM
Findings
Average 9 numbers and 7 letters
Describe the research into the capacity of the STM
Conclusion
- STM = limited storage capacity
- Memory for numbers better than memory for letters
- ∵ 10 potential digits VS 26 letters
Describe the research into the capacity of the STM
Evaluations
- Lack of ecological validity
- Experimental tasks e.g. recalling letters = little relevance to everyday life
- Individual differences in STM capacity
- Research found that capacity ranged from 5-20 items, depending on whether people’s reading ability was poor or advanced
- ∴ it’s limiting to say capacity is 5-9 items
What is long term memory (LTM)?
Store for events that happened in distant past
What is the duration for the LTM?
Unlimited
Describe the research into the duration of the LTM
Method
American adults were used & their memory were tested by…
- Free call of name of classmates
- Photo: had to identify former classmates
- A name recognition test
- A name and photo matching test
Describe the research into the duration of the LTM
Findings
- 90% accuracy for face and name recognition
- Left school 34 years ago
- After 48 years, declined 80% for names and 40% faces
- When doing free recall test = recall less accurate
Describe the research into the duration of the LTM
Conclusion
Memories can last for long period of time = but requires use of cues to enhance recall
Describe the research into the duration of the LTM
Evaluations
- High ecological validity
- ∵ realistic nature: participants recall real classmates = real test of memory
- American participants = can’t say long duration in memory is universal
- As it could vary between cultures
- Lack some important controls
- e.g. could have been contact with friends or looked at yearbook
- Which could explain recall was good
What is the coding like for the LTM?
Semantically
Describe the research into coding of the LTM
Method
Baddeley
- Followed similar procedure
- Presented with one of 4 word lists
- Before recall participants were given 20 min interval in which they conducted another tasks
Describe the research into coding of the LTM
Findings
Semantically similar list had lowest recall
Describe the research into coding of the LTM
Conclusion
List C = recalled least efficiently = semantic confusion in LTM suggests how LTM codes info
Describe the research into coding of the LTM
Evaluations
- Findings make cognitive sense
- If you had to recall book you read, remember plot rather than the words
- Coding in LTM does work on semantic basis
- Artificial nature
- Can’t be applied to real-life memory
- ∴ cannot definitely say LTM does code semantically
- Different ways of coding
- Too simplistic to assume all LTM codes on semantic basis
- i.e. what about taste and smell
What is the capacity for the LTM?
Large
Describe the research into the capacity of the LTM
Method
- Presented thoroughly 3000 of different scenes (3 seconds each)
- Given tests, to see if they recognised these images
- e.g. presented 2 images with participants & had chose that one that had been shown to them
Describe the research into the capacity of the LTM
Findings
Up to 96% accuracy for 3000 pictures
Describe the research into the capacity of the LTM
Conclusions
Due to good recall rates, appears that LTM has large capacity and can hold lots of info
Describe the research into the capacity of the LTM
Evaluations
- Only one type of stimuli (visual) was used
- Controlled variables allow for replication
Who made the working memory model?
Baddeley and Hitch
What is the working memory model essentially?
Same as MSM but replaced STM with 4 stores
Draw the working memory model
Describe the central executive
- Acts a filter
- Processes information in all sensory forms
- Then directs info to other ‘slave’ systems for processing
- & collects their response
- It’s selective when deciding what to do
What’s the capacity of the central executive?
Limited capacity - 1 piece of info at a time
Describe the phonological loop
- Processes auditory information and order of information
- Similar to rehearsal system in MSM
What’s the capacity of the phonological loop?
Has limited capacity - 2 sounds
Name the 2 parts that the phonological loop is divided into
- Articulatory process
- Phonological store
What does the articulatory process do?
‘inner voice’ - allows for maintenance rehearsal
What does the phonological store do?
‘inner ear’ - stores the words you hear
Describe the visuo-spatial sketchpad
- Temporary store for visual and spatial items
- Processes non-acoustic information
- Helps people navigate around their surroundings
- Info is rehearsed through mental pictures
Name the 2 parts that the visuo-spatial sketchpad is divided into
Inner scribe & visual cache
What does the visual cache do?
Stores visual material about colour or size
What does the inner scribe do?
- Handles spatial awareness
- Rehearses information from VC and sends it to CE
What does the episodic buffer do?
Facilitates communication between central executive and LTM
What is the episodic buffer’s capacity like?
Larger capacity than other stores
Who conducted the research into the WMM?
Baddeley and Hitch
Baddeley and Hitch: Research into WMM
Aim
To see if participants can use different parts of working memory at same time
Baddeley and Hitch: Research into WMM
Method
- Perform 2 tasks at same time (dual task technique)
- Digit span task
- Repeat a list of numbers
- Verbal reasoning task
- Answer true or false to various questions
- Digit span task
Baddeley and Hitch: Research into WMM
Results
- As no. of digits ↑ = participants took longer to answer reasoning questions
- But only fractions of second longer
- & didn’t make any more errors in verbal reasoning tasks as no. of digits ↑
Baddeley and Hitch: Research into WMM
Conclusion
- Verbal reasoning task used central executive
- Digit span task used phonological loop
- As participants able to do both tasks simultaneously = separate parts of working memory model
Name 1 postive evaluation point about the WMM
Support for visual cache and inner scribe
Name 1 negative evaluation point about the WMM
Little known about CE
WMM
Elaborate on the evaluation point: Support for visual cache and inner scribe
- Found more interference occurs between 2 visual tasks compared to visual and spatial task
- Suggests both separate components
- VC = colour and form
- IS = spatial relationships
- Suggests both separate components
- PET scans support these findings
- Brain activation in left hemisphere = visual tasks
- Right hemisphere = spatial tasks
- Supports idea VSS divided into VC and IS
WMM
Elaborate on the evaluation point: Little known about CE
- Don’t really know how it works
- & Evidence suggest CE may not be single element
- Eslinger et al had patient who had cerebral tumour removed
- Performed well on reasoning tasks = CE functional
- Struggled with poor decision making skills = elements of CE damaged
- Suggests other components in CE which WMM unable to explain ∵ over-simplified
- Can’t explain how musical memory works
- Participants able to listen to instrumental music without hindering their performance is other acoustic tasks
- Not fully understood how link between working memory and long-term memory = not fully explained either