Chapter 6 Flashcards
What is encoding?
Initial processing of information so it’s represented in the nervous system. (If not encoded, it won’t be remembered)
What is storage?
Retention of encoded information for longer than immediate processing.
What is retrieval?
Brains ability to access this stored info for a cognitive process
What is capacity when measuring memory?
How much a memory system can hold
We can test this by asking what amount of letters a person can hear and repeat back correctly
What is the term duration in measures of memory?
How long information remains in memory
What is the modal memory model?
First substantial theoretical model of memory that tried to account for experimental data
Three different memory stores?
1. Sensory
2. Short-term
3. Long-term
Sensory input - sensory memory - short term memory -(encoding)- long term memory
Maintenance rehearsal Retrieval
Explain stage one of modal memory model (sensory memory)?
Info just from sensory organs
Explain stage two of modal memory model (short term memory)?
Hold processed information for rehearsal or to produce a behaviour
Around 15-30 seconds
Explain stage three of modal memory model (long term memory) ?
Cold storage for information that may be retrieved back into STM
What is persistence of vision ?
Retention of an image of an object or event for a brief period after it’s no longer present
What is iconic memory ?
Much of visual input can be stored for a short period of time
What is echoic memory ?
Auditory form of sensory memory where auditory information is stored
Explain what information short term memory has
Has only information that has been selected by attention for processing
Can hold around 7 items average
4 items in the visual domain
What is a chunk?
Combo of letters / numbers / sounds that are meaningful together (ex. A phone number is in chunks)
What are mnemonists?
People who can memorize long strips of numbers / letters
What is maintenance rehearsal ?
Repetition of info in STM which reactivates initial coding
Duration of STM without rehearsal: around 15 seconds
Explain the two causes of forgetting in STM (proactive interference + retroactive interference)
proactive interference:
Info you learned causes you to not learn something in the future
retroactive interference:
Newer info causes you to forget something from the past
What is articulatory suppression?
Technique used in verbal memory experiments to block rehearsal. Participant repeats task irrelevant sentence while trying to remember other verbal items.
What is the working memory model?
Says that STM is not a single unitory store, but has three connected sub units.
- Visuo- spatial sketchpad
- Phonological loop
- Central executive
Explain 1. Visuo- spatial sketchpad of the working memory model
Visual component of working memory. Can be used to analyze and manipulate visual information like mentally rotating a remembered object
What is the phonological loop (2) of working memory
Auditory component of working memory, this allows auditory information to be repeated so it can be used / analyzed
What is the central executive (3) part of working memory?
Component novel to working memory model, this is the gatekeeper that determines what information makes it to working memory. It also toggles between the visual and auditory memory stores
Explain the key aspect of the working memory (it differentiates between visual/ auditory stores)
Auditory memory is really auditory and visual memory is really visual.
If doing a verbal sentence task, you will react faster by responding verbally.
Mixing of modalities increases response time (slower)
Experiment with arrows pointing to coloured rectangles to memorize. Asked people with low and high memory capacity how much they remembered
Split groups into those with high memory and low memory capacity
Those with low memory capacity: could still remember two distractors even if told to ignore
High capacity individuals: could filter out distractors and only remember relevent items
Based on the experiment what is the critical role of the central executive?
To ensure irrelevant info doesn’t answer memory
What is the episodic buffer?
As a revision to original working memory model that can combine info from across different sources including phonological loop + visuo-spatial sketch pad as well as long term memory
Differences in working memory + general intelligence are _________ related
Causally related
Possibly due to developmental factors
Where is working memory?
All over the brain
During short term and working memory where is activity increased in fMRI?
Prefrontal cortex
