Chapter 5: Short Term Memory And Working Memory Flashcards
Define memory
Is the process involved in retaining retrieving and using information about stimuli images events ideas and skills after the original info is no longer present
Memory is active any time some past experience has an effect on the way you think or behave now or in the future
Evaluate the modal model of memory
Proposes
Sensory memory which is the initial stage that holds all incoming info for seconds or fractions of a second.
Short term memory holds 5+/-2 items for 15-20 second
Long term memory can hold large amounts of info for years.
Structural features are indicated by a box on the model
Control processes are dynamic processes associated with the structural features that can be regulated by person and differ from tasks
Rehearsal is the repeating of a stimulus over and over in order to hold it in your mind after looking it up
Encoding is the process of storing information into long term memory
Retrieval is the process of remembering info stored in long term memory
Discuss sensory memory
Is the retention for brief periods of time of the effects of sensory stimulation
Persistence of vision is the continued perception of a visual stimulus even after its no longer present.
Whole report method: to give as much info regarding the info provided
Partial report method: to give a portion of info provided
Delayed partial report method: providing some info that’s given after a time lapse.
Iconic memory is the brief sensory memory for visual stimuli
Echoic memory is the persistence of sound that lasts for a few seconds after presentation of original stimuli
Explain short term memory
Is the system involved in storing small amounts of info for a relatively longer but still brief period of time
What is the duration of STM? Lasts 15-20s or less
Decay is the loss of memory trance with time.
Proactive interference: interference that occurs when info that was learned previously interfere with learning new info
Retroactive interference occurs when new learning interferes with remembering old learning
Digit span the number of digits a person can remember which average at 7+-2 items
Chunking is the grouping of info to make it smaller.
Change detection uses visual items that can’t be verbalised.
Expand on the concept of working memory
Working memory is a limited capacity system for temporary storage and manipulation of info for complex tasks like comprehension learning and reasoning
In this model the notion of a single system is replaced with one containing 3 seperable but interlinked subsystems and the assumption of a series of successive stages of info processing is substituted by model that’s capable of parallel processing across the subsystems
The phonological loop which holds audio and verbal info contains- phonological store which has limited capacity and holds info for few secs
- articulatory rehearsal process is responsible for rehearsal that can keep items in the phonological store from decaying
Visuospatial sketchpad holds visual and spatial info
Central executive is the major work of working memory function which pulls info from LTM and coordinates the activities of the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad by focusing on specific parts of a task and dividing attention between the different tasks.
Explain the functioning of the phonological loop
The phonological similarity effect: refers to the confusion of letters or words that sound alike.
The word length effect: refers to the observation that our memory of lists of short words is better for STM than long words
Articulatory suppression is the repetition of an irrelevant sound resulting which reduction in memory because speaking interferes with rehearsal
Explain the functioning of the visuospatial sketchpad
Visual imagery: the creation of visual images in the mind in the absence of a physical visual stimulus
Comparing visual images
Mental rotation: rotating an image of one of the objects in the mind
Recalling visual patterns
Holding a spatial stimulus in mind
Explain the functioning of the central executive
It is the attention controller which determines how attention is focused on a specific task how it’s divided between two tasks and how it’s switched between tasks
Perseveration: repeatedly performing the same action or thought even if it’s not achieving the desired goal.
Episodic buffer: can store info and provide extra capacity and is connected to LTM which makes interchange between WM and LTM possible
State other models of working memory
Cowens embedded processes model where WM is explained as the cognitive processes responsible for retaining info in a temporary enhanced accessible state
How is WM and the brain connected
Effects of damage to prefrontal cortex
Delayed response task: holding info in WM during a delay period.
Showed prefrontal cortex to be important for holding info for brief period of time.
Prefrontal neurons that fire when holding info
There are neurons that respond only when the object was flashed in a particular location and that they continued responding during the delay
FMRI research of executive attention and object representations
Sustained activity in prefrontal areas is necessary to maintain abstract and coarse representations in WM but the actual detailed content to WM is perception in the first instance
