6A The explanatory power of the Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model of memory Flashcards
Memory
An information processing system that actively receives, organises, stores and recovers info.
Information processing model
three-stage process
1) encoding
2) storage
3) retrieval
Info processing model - Encoding
converting sensory info into a usable form that can be processed by the brain
- must pay attention to info
Info processing model - Storage
retaining info over time
- organised = easier to recover
Info processing model - Retrieval
accessing info that has previously been stored
- relys on usong the right cues or hints so you can locate the correct piece of info
Multi-store model of memory
- Atkinson-Shiffrin
Sensory memory
Short-term memory (STM)
Long-term memory (LTM) - each process info in different ways and varies in its role, capacity and duration
Sensory memory
a memory store that recieves and stores an unlimited amout of incoming sensory info for a breif time
- must pay attention to important sensory info for it to be further processed and transfered to STM if not it will be lost from memory forever
Sensory memory function
filters out unnecessary info, preventing us from being overwhelmed by the amount of sensory info we get
- stores sensory impressions long (allows us to percieve the world around us as continuous
Sensory memory capacity
unlimited
- structured to deal with lots of sensory stimuli entering at any given time
Sensory memory duration
0.2-4 seconds
Types of sensory memory registers
- Iconic memoryFunction
Exact replica of visual infoDuration
0.3-0.5 secondCapacity
Unlimited
- Echoic memoryFunction
Exact replica of auditory infoDuration
3-4 secondsCapacity
Unlimited
Short-term memory
memory store that has limited capacity of short duration, unless info is renewed
Short-term memory function
when info enters we can actively manipulate encoded info while we complete everyday tasks
e.g
Sensory memory
sensory info about food e.g colour taste texture is attended to and transferred to short-term memory
LTM
past experiences of similar foods are retrieved from LTM to be compared to info in short-term memory
Short-term memory capacity
limited
- average adult can hold 7±2 iterms or 5-9 unrelated iteems
- If short-term memory is at capacity new items can only be added by pushing old ones out
can be extended by chunking- grouping separate items together to form a larfe single of info
Displacement
adding new single items to short-term memory by pushing out old ones
Short-term memory duration
18-30 seconds
- if after 30 seconds info isnt manipulated in some way then it will fade from short-term memory and be permanently lost (decay)
- decay can be prevented by rehearsal (consious manipulation of info to keep it in STM for longer or to transfer it to LTM
Rehearsal types
- Maintenance rehearsal
repeating info vocally or sub-vocally to preserve it in STM (stays for as long as you repeate the info and are not interrupted) - Elaborative rehearsal
giving meaning to new info and making associations with other info already in LTM
e.g making mnemonics, creating questions, making mind maps, explaining concept to someone who has no knowledge of the subject matter
Long-term memory
memory that is relatively permanent and hold huge amounts of info for a long time (possibly life long)
- when info is transferred into LTM it undergos further encoding according to its meaning and becomes unconsicious (prevents us from being overwhelmed by the amount of info stored in LTM
Long-term memory function
info is organised semantically and well organised according to meaning, which helps info be retrieved more efficiently
Long-term memory capacity
unlimited, allows the storage of a lifetime of memories
Long-term memory duration
relatively permanent, info is throught to last in the memory store for a long time, but it can decay due to physical or psychological factors
