Chapter 4: Working Memory Flashcards
Working memory
The brief immediate memory for the limited amount of material that you’re currently processing
Long-term memory
Has a large capacity and contains your memory for experiences and information that have accumulated throughout your lifetime
Chunk
A memory unit that consists of several components that are strongly associated with one another
Brown/Peterson & Peterson Technique
Demonstrated that material held in memory for less than one minute is frequently forgotten.
Rehearsal
Repeating items that you want to remember silently
Serial position effect
Refers to the U-shaped relationship between a word’s position in a list and it’s probability of recall
Recency effect
Better recall for items at the end of the list
Primacy effect
Enhanced recall for items at the beginning of the list
What did George Miller come up with?
The magic number 7: proposed that people can remember about 7 items (give or take 2)
Semantics
The meaning of words in sentences
Proactive interference (PI)
People have trouble learning new material because previously learned material keeps interfering with their new learning
Release from proactive interference
If the experimenter shifts the category of the fourth item from letters to a simple geometric shape, your memory will improve; in fact, your performance on that new category of items will be almost as high as it had been on the first item
Control processes
Intentional strategies that people may use to improve their memory (such as rehearsal)
Working memory Approach (Baddeley)
Our immediate memory is a multipart system that temporarily holds and manipulates info while we perform cognitive tasks
(Includes the phonological loop, visuospacial sketchpad, central executive, and episodic buffer)
Phonological loop
Processes language and other sounds that you hear for a short period of time
Subvocalization
When you silently pronounce the words you are reading
Acoustic confusion
Confusing similar sounding stimuli when rehearsing something
Self-instruction
Silently reminding yourself about something you need to do in the future or how to use some complicated equipment
List at least 4 of the 6 common uses for the phonological loop
- Used in simple counting tasks
- In working memory before reaching long-term memory
- Used during self-instruction
- When learning new words and when reading
- When you produce language and when learning new language
- In mathematical calculations and problem solving tasks
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
A neuroscience technique that uses a magnetic field to briefly stimulate a specific location on the cortex
What did researchers discover by using TMS?
The left frontal and parietal lobe are normally responsible for rehearsing and storing complex, lengthy sentences
Visuospacial Sketchpad
Processing both visual and spatial information
Central executive
Integrate information from the phonological loop, the visuospacial sketchpad, the episodic buffer, and long-term memory
Name the 5 characteristics of the central executive
- Plans and coordinates
- Decides which topics deserve attention
- Selects strategies for tackling a problem
- Knows not to continue an ineffective strategy
- Has a limited ability to perform simultaneous tasks
Episodic buffer
Serves as a temporary storehouse that can hold and combine information from your phonological loop, your visuospacial sketchpad, and long-term memory
