Chapter 3: short term memory Flashcards
digit span
the longest sequence that could be repeated back without error
Included in Wechsler Adult Intelligence test (WAIS)
Working memory span
complex memory span tasks in which simultaneous storage and process is required
Digital span test reflects short term memory (STM)
More complex tasks as working memory span
Short term memory (STM)
performance on a task simple retention of small amounts of information, tested immediately or after a short delay
capacity to store small amounts of information over brief intervals
working memory
temporarily stores information but also manipulates it so allow people to perform activities like reasoning, learning, and comprehension
Memory span measures require two things:
Remembering what the items are
Remembering the order in which they are presented
chunks
pronounceable word like subgroups
George Miller
memory capacity is limited not by the number of items to be recalled, but by the number of the chunks
Chunking
the process of combining a number of items into a single chunk typically on the basis of long term memory
Phonological loop
Baddeley and Hitch, responsible for temporary storage of speech like information. Two subcomponents:
Short term store- limited in capacity
Articularly rehearsal process- can be refreshed by rehearsal
Phonological similarity effect (PSE)
a tendency for immediate serial recall of verbal
materials to be reduced, when items are similar in sound
when does Phonological similarity effect disappears
if the lists are increased in length and
participants are allowed several learning trials
Articulatory suppression
a technique for disrupting verbal rehearsal by requiring
participants to continuously repeat a spoken item even when suppressing, people can still remember up to 4 or 5 visually presented digits
irrelevant sound effect
a tendency for verbal STM to be disrupted by concurrent fluctuating sounds, including speech and music
Methods of storing in serial order
Chain: A-> B-> C-> D
Context
Priming
O-OER
STM approach by Dylan Jones
Object Orientation Episodic Record, theory of STM. developed to account for the influence of STM on irrelevant sounds
James Nairnes feature model
replaces proposed separation between LTM and STM by proposing a single memory system in which each memory item is assessed to be represented by a set of features, which are of two basic types:
Modality dependent
Modality independent
SIMPLE model
proposed by Brown(Scale Invariant Memory Perception and Learning). Applies to both STM and LTM
Free recall
a method whereby participants are presented with a sequence of items in which they are subsequently required to recall in any order they wish
recency effect
a tendency for the last few items in a list to be well recalled
primacy effect
a tendency for the first few items in a sequence to be better recalled than most of the following items
Glanzier and Cuntiz
earlier items were help in LTM while recency reflected a separate component in STM
LTM variables studied includes:
Presentation rate: slower is better
Word frequency- familiar words are easier
Imageability of words- visualizable are better
Age of participant- young adults remember more than children or elderly
Physiological state- drugs such as marijuana and alcohol impair performance
long term recency
a tendency for the last few items to be well recalled under conditions of long term memory
Visual working memory
spatial memory (where) objects (what)
Visual STM has a limited capacity
Visual LTM can hold a lot
Binding
separate features combine in memory, relatively automatic
Ex: color red, shape square, red square
Chen and Johnson- two types of attention:
Central, capacity to direct and flow sensory information
Executive, internally oriented aspects of attentional control
Corsi-block tapping
visuo- spatial counterpart to digit span involving an array of blocks that the tester taps in a sequence and the patient attempts to copy
Visuo-spatial STM
retention of visual or spatial information over brief periods of time
Problems can go beyond simple storage of visual and spatial stimuli, involving more complex tasks like creating and manipulating mental images
