5 - Theories of Memory

Question 1

anterograde amnesia

Answer 1

the loss of the ability to craete new memories after the event that caused amnesia

Question 2

who was HM?

Answer 2

• pt who suffered from severe seizures
• had bilateral medial temporal lobectomy - removed hippocampus and amygdala
• stopped seizures, but unable to form new memories
• could still develop procedural memory however

Question 3

what is memory?

Answer 3

• mental capacity to store and later recall or recognise events that were previously experienced

Question 4

what is the basic memory processes?

Answer 4

encoding - storage - retrieval

Question 5

what are the 3 ways memory can be encoded?

Answer 5

acoustic
visual
semantic

Question 6

what are the 2 ways memory can be stored?

Answer 6

LTM
STM

Question 7

what are the 2 ways memory can be retrieved?

Answer 7

recall
recognition

Question 8

recall

Answer 8

accessing information without cues

Question 9

recognition

Answer 9

identifying information

Question 10

draw the multi-store model of memory

Answer 10

Question 11

how long does sensory information last?

Answer 11

0.1-0.5 sec

Question 12

what does sensory memory hold?

Answer 12

accurate and complete representation

Question 13

encoding of sensory memory is what?

Answer 13

sense-specific - there are different sensory memory stores for the different sensory modalities

Question 14

what is the duration of STM?

Answer 14

seconds - minutes

Question 15

what lobes are involved in STM?

Answer 15

sensory and parietal

Question 16

what is the capacity of STM?

Answer 16

7+/-2

Question 17

what is the duration of LTM?

Answer 17

potentially unlimited

Question 18

what is the capacity of LTM?

Answer 18

possibly unlimited

Question 19

what is essential for consolidation of LTM?

Answer 19

• hippocampus
• sleep

Question 20

what is the encoding of LTM?

Answer 20

mainly semantic

Question 21

what part of the brain is linked with emotional memories?

Answer 21

amygdala

Question 22

what is the working memory model?

Answer 22

an elaboration of the idea of STM

Question 23

draw the working memory model

Answer 23

Question 23

what is the central executive?

Answer 23

• allocates limited attention resources to other components of WMM
• cognitive tasks like problem solving

Question 24

what is the phonological loop?

Answer 24

* stores auditory information by silently rehearsing sounds/words in continuous loop

Question 25

what is the articulatory process?

Answer 25

continuously rehearsing sounds/words in a loop - silent

Question 26

what is the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 26

stores visual and spatial information

Question 27

what is the episodic buffer?

Answer 27

* links info from all WMM units * puts them in chronological order and links to semantic meaning

Question 28

what does the levels of processing model state?

Answer 28

* the depth of processing leads to stronger memories * elaborative rehearsal creates more extensive neuronal connections

Question 29

what is superficial processing in the levels of processing model?

Answer 29

* structural processing (Appearing) * phonemic processing (sound)

Question 30

what is deep processing in the levels of processing model?

Answer 30

semantic processing

Question 31

what are the two main types of LTM?

Answer 31

explicit implicit

Question 32

what are the explicit types of LTM?

Answer 32

declaritive - consciously recalled * episodic * semantic

Question 33

what is episodic LTM?

Answer 33

an event related to you - holiday/first kiss

Question 34

what is semantic LTM?

Answer 34

facts/general knowledge

Question 35

what are the implicit types of LTM?

Answer 35

non-declarative - knowledge without awareness * procedural * priming

Question 36

what is procedural LTM?

Answer 36

skills or actions (eg. driving)

Question 37

what is priming with regards to LTM?

Answer 37

making associations - eg. bread + butter

Question 38

what was Ebbinghaus's memory experiment?

Answer 38

remembering a list of nonsense syllables - limited the affect of meaningful associations

Question 39

what did Ebbinghaus conclude about memory?

Answer 39

recall was better with spaced repetition and active recall

Question 40

what are the two theories of forgetting in STM?

Answer 40

* trace decay * displacement

Question 41

what is the trace theory of forgetting?

Answer 41

* forgettng in STM * memories leave a trace in the brain * fading occurs after 15-30s | impossible to test

Question 42

what is the theory of displacement from STM?

Answer 42

* STM can only hold small info * when it is 'full' new info displaces old info

Question 43

what are the theories of forgetting in LTM?

Answer 43

interference theory

Question 44

what is interference theory?

Answer 44

* memory can be disrupted/interfered with * info in LTM may be confused with other info during encoding

Question 45

what are the two theories about childhood amnesia?

Answer 45

freud - forgetting occurs due to traumatic events occuring in psychosexual development more common - brain isn't developed enough in childhood to recall memories

Question 46

who studied false memories + eye witness testimony?

Answer 46

elizabeth loftus

Question 47

what is source confusion?

Answer 47

memory of information as being obtained from one source when it was in fact obtained from another

Question 48

what happens to performance if arousal is too high?

Answer 48

impaired performance because of strong anxiety

Question 49

draw the arousal performance curve

Answer 49

Question 50

how can the arousal performance curve relate to doctor's advice?

Answer 50

memory is poorest at the end of consultation when anxiety is greatest