Chapter 5 - STM and Working Memory Flashcards
Memory
the process involved in retaining, retrieving, and using information about stimuli, images, events, ideas, and skills after the original information is no longer present.
Five Types of Memory
short-term/working, sensory, semantic, episodic, procedural
Short-Term/Working Memory
information being focused on in the present moment; once we stop thinking about it, the information can no longer be remembered
Sensory Memory
stored for as long as the sense is being stimulated; comes from the five sense (hearing, seeing, touch, smell and taste)
Episodic Memory
life experiences
Semantic Memory
facts
Procedural
muscle memory/coordination
Modal Model of Memory
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
Structural Features: sensory memory; STM; LTM
Steps: all info. enters S.M., stimuli focused on enters STM, stimuli is rehearsed to enter LTM, stimuli is retrieved back into STM for use.
Encoding
storing memory into LTM
Context dependent –
factors in the environment help improve recall when they match between encoding and retrieval;
example could include the diving experiment where word list is remembered better when studying and testing happened either under the water or on the beach.
For a student writing an exam, familiarity with the exam room could help or picturing the exam room as you study.
State-dependent learning
Internal state such as your emotional state can affect encoding and improve recall if you are in a similar state during testing
Example could include intoxication study or mood studies, where the mood of the participant is elevated during study and they did better if their mood was also elevated during test.
For a student, practicing with a timer to mimic the time stress of writing an exam could help emulate the internal state during the exam.
Retrieval
remembering information stored in LTM to be used.
Persistence of Vision
continued perception of a visual stimulus even after it is no longer present; optical illusion. (ex. sparklers cause a trail of light when it is moved rapidly; this trail occurs because the perception of the light is briefly held in the mind)
Sperling’s Experiment: Measuring the Capacity and Duration of the Sensory Store.
how much information people can take in from briefly presented stimuli
Whole Report Method
participants were asked to report as many letters as possible from the entire 12-letter display; average of 4.5/12 letters
Partial Report Tone Immediate Method
person saw all 12 letters, as before, but immediately after they were turned off, a tone indicated which row the person was to report; average 3.3/4
Partial Report Tone Delayed Method
same as above but tone is heard after letter are already turned off; average 1/4
Iconic memory or visual icon
brief sensory image for visual stimuli. ~1 second duration
Echoic memory
brief sensory image for auditory stimuli; (when you hear someone say something, but you don’t understand at first and say “what?” but even before the person can repeat what was said, you “hear” it in your mind). ~1-2 seconds duration.
Digit Span
the number of digits that can be remembered as a measure of STM capacity; average 5-9 digits - suggested by Miller
Change Detection
recongizing change of pattern (ex. Luck and Vogel’s stimuli test - like the behavioural test for the PSYC 203 second research assignment; performance rapidly decreased after 4 squares)
Chunking
created by Miller - small units (like words) can be combined into larger meaningful units, like phrases, or even larger units, like sentences, paragraphs, or stories. (grouping stimuli together in a meaningful way - like we grouped colour shades to remember colours in the change detection test for assignment two). 7 digits without chunking 79 with chunking in S.F. experi.
Chunk
collection of elements that are strongly asscoiated with eachother but weakly associated with other elements in other chunks.
Phonological Loop
verbal and auditory information
Phonological Store
limited capacity; holds info for a few seconds.
Articulatory Rehearsal Process
rehearsal to keep items in the phonological store from decaying
Visuospatial sketch pad
visual + spatial information; forms picture in head
Central Executive
major work of working memory occurs; pulls information from long-term memory and coordinates with the other two groups
Phonological Similarity Effect
confusion of letters or words that sound similar
Word Length Effect
memory for lists of words is better for short words than long words; shorter words are more likely to be recalled (long words take more time to be rehearse)
Articulatory Suppression
repetition of irrelevant sound which interferes with rehearsal.
Preservation
repeatedly performing the same action or thought even if it is not achieving the deserted goal - common in patients with frontal lobe damage.
Episodic Buffer
stores information and is connected to LTM in Baddely’s model (WIP); integrates information from long-term memory and working memory.
Delayed Response Task
monkey to hold information in working memory during delay period (period where stimuli isnt present).
Can be trained to do well, but if PFC is removed chances are 50/50.
Synesthesia
stimulation in one sense leads to an impression in another sense
Amnesia
loss of memory.
Interference
information that interferes can enter memory before or after the target.
proactive interference: old memories disrupt the retrieval of new memories.
retroactive interference: new memories disrupt the retrieval and maintenance of old memories.
