CH4-6 Flashcards
Characteristics of STM
Limited Capacity
Limited duration
Distinct from LTM
Span task
to test STM capacity.
Letters coming up in ordera nd you have to repeat as many as you can
Miller’s magic number
7 +/- 2
STM chunk allowance
So the more you know, the better able you are to use these chunks effectively
Brown-Peterson-Peterson task
shown three letters followed by a large number to count back from by 3s.
Shows that in the absence of rehearsal, STM duration is less than 30 seconds.
Serial position effect
The U shaped curve of how we remember things in lists.
Primacy and recency effects account for high recall.
Support the idea that LTM and STM are distinct (primacy due to LTM and recency due to STM)
Primacy effect
things at the beginning of a list are remembered better because (1) they don’t compete with any other items and (2) they are rehearsed more frequently
Recency effect
Things presented recently are remembered well
Still fresh in STM
semantics
meaning of words or sentences
Proactive interference
people have troublel earning new material when previously learned material keep interfering with new learning.
eg. if last trial was diff category than first trials, there will be better recall - release from proactive interference
Modal Model
Atkinson Schiffrin Model
STM is fragile and those memories lost in 30 seconds if not rehearsed
Control processes can be used to improve memory.
Criticisms of Modal Model
STM depicted as a single entity - if this were true, two tasks that need STM would interfere.
Baddeley’s WM Model
WM isn’t just a passive store house. It is where we manipulate information
- Multi-component system
- Central exec with 3 slave systemsL phonological loop, episodic buffer, visuo-spatial sketchpad.
Evidence of Baddeley’s WM model
People can do verbal (counting) tasks while also doing spatial reasoning tasks. Therefore, WM must have multiple components that operate somewhat independently of one another.
Phonological loop
brain regions?
Can process a limited number of sounds for a short period of time.
Activate frontal lobe and part of temporal lobe in left hemisphere of brain
Phonological store
limited duration phonological code.
- The mind’s ear
- holds info in the form of speech sounds
- visual info must be recoded before it can be stored here
- similar sounds interfere here and are harder to remember (B and C)
The articulatory loop
brain regions?
the mind’s voice - subvocal rehearsal
- lights up Broca’s area - speech production
- Recodes visual info into phonological info
- articulatory suppression - you can interfere with the artic loop by repeating other speech sounds in your head.
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
brain regions?
Represents visual and spatial information
- recodes verbal information
- visual interference (eyes open) prevents visualizing
- Rehearse info here using covert attention shifting from place to place in visual image - activity in frontal and parietal loves (areas of attention)
- activity in the visual cortex, contralateral to the side of the FoV where the object is in the mind
- spatial tasks activate right hemisphere
- WM takss with visual components activate occipital region
Episodic buffer
combine info from phonological loop and VS sketchpad and LTM
- ALso carries temporal information (time_
- Manipulated info to interpret earlier experiences, solve new problems and plan future activities
- binds chunks to optimize memory
Central Exec
brain regions?
- manipulate and coordinate info from phonological loop, VSA sketchpad, Episodic memory and LTM
- Suppress irrelevant info
- activate dorsal prefrontal cortex
- involved in daydreaming
How do we know that LTM and WM interact?
Semantic effects on WM
- Words easier to remember than nonwords bc they mean something to us/we have seen them before
proactive interference
- LTM impaired by repeated storage of similar concepts
WM and academic performance
- high WM correlated w overall intelligence
- high phonological test scores = good reading skills
- ADHD correlated w difficulties w central exec tasks (response inhibition, planning)
Major Depression and WM
Depressed patients had less phonological loop ability
- reduced VS sketchpad
- normal scores for Brown-Peterson-Peterson
- Reflect trouble concentrating in depression
Total time hypothesis
time spent studying ha something to do with amount learned
BUT THIS IS WRONG
Deep processing in study is much more important.
Deep levels of processing facilitate learning because of two processes
elaboration and distinctiveness
Elaboration
relate to prior knowledge
Distinctiveness
one memory trace should be different from all other memory traces
Shallow vs deep processing
deep refers to contacting stored knowledge.
the more you know the more you can remember.
self-referencing
The best form of deep processing.
Even better than semantic processing (putting into context/the meaning)
- cognition handles positive instances better than negative. We will remember things that apply to ourselves more than those that done.
generation effect
memory improved when you generate information yourself.
It is effortful and requires elaboration on the meaning.
Eg. Taking your own lecture notes.
Production effect
Relies on relative distinctiveness
Making something distinctive in some way.
Sing the word you need to remember.
Encoding specificity principle
concept
an example
Recall is better when the context at encoding is the same as the context at test.
- when you lose your keys you retrace your steps hoping that the context will help you remember the content.
- can override levels of processing
Transfer appropriate processing
Processing at study = processing at test
You alter study strategies according to the type of exam.
Retrieval practice effect
repeated retrieval of information is more important than repeated study.
Try retrieving at increasing intervals.
distributed practice effect
you will remember more material if you spread learning over time.
massed-learning (cramming) is ineffective.
- Release from proactive interference
- More attention because the information is novel
- Different context in study means different retrieval cues
- distributed practice produces desireable difficulties. It is a little too hard, but you can overcome it and it helps you learn
- delay of at least 1 day bt studying is most effective
testing effect
testing helps learning more than repeated study even when feedback is not given
- distinguished from retrieval practice because you are specifically tested.
- people who study and restudy will do better initially, but over time the people doing tests will do better.
overconfidence
- people think they have great memory of their life experiences
- foresight bias - when people have been studying, they think they are overconfident about how well they will do on a future exam.
- students at the bottom half of grade distrib are especially bad for this.
- due to the fact that studens make these judgements of learning too close to their study episodes.