Chapter 6

Question 1

What is encoding?

Answer 1

Initial processing of information so it’s represented in the nervous system. (If not encoded, it won’t be remembered)

Question 2

What is storage?

Answer 2

Retention of encoded information for longer than immediate processing.

Question 3

What is retrieval?

Answer 3

Brains ability to access this stored info for a cognitive process

Question 4

What is capacity when measuring memory?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What is the term duration in measures of memory?

Answer 5

How long information remains in memory

Question 6

What is the modal memory model?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Explain stage one of modal memory model (sensory memory)?

Answer 7

Info just from sensory organs

Question 8

Explain stage two of modal memory model (short term memory)?

Answer 8

Hold processed information for rehearsal or to produce a behaviour

Around 15-30 seconds

Question 9

Explain stage three of modal memory model (long term memory) ?

Answer 9

Cold storage for information that may be retrieved back into STM

Question 10

What is persistence of vision ?

Answer 10

Retention of an image of an object or event for a brief period after it’s no longer present

Question 11

What is iconic memory ?

Answer 11

Much of visual input can be stored for a short period of time

Question 12

What is echoic memory ?

Answer 12

Auditory form of sensory memory where auditory information is stored

Question 13

Explain what information short term memory has

Answer 13

Has only information that has been selected by attention for processing

Can hold around 7 items average

4 items in the visual domain

Question 14

What is a chunk?

Answer 14

Combo of letters / numbers / sounds that are meaningful together (ex. A phone number is in chunks)

Question 15

What are mnemonists?

Answer 15

People who can memorize long strips of numbers / letters

Question 16

What is maintenance rehearsal ?

Answer 16

Repetition of info in STM which reactivates initial coding

Duration of STM without rehearsal: around 15 seconds

Question 17

Explain the two causes of forgetting in STM (proactive interference + retroactive interference)

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What is articulatory suppression?

Answer 18

Technique used in verbal memory experiments to block rehearsal. Participant repeats task irrelevant sentence while trying to remember other verbal items.

Question 19

What is the working memory model?

Answer 19

Says that STM is not a single unitory store, but has three connected sub units.

1. Visuo- spatial sketchpad
2. Phonological loop
3. Central executive

Question 20

Explain 1. Visuo- spatial sketchpad of the working memory model

Answer 20

Visual component of working memory. Can be used to analyze and manipulate visual information like mentally rotating a remembered object

Question 21

What is the phonological loop (2) of working memory

Answer 21

Auditory component of working memory, this allows auditory information to be repeated so it can be used / analyzed

Question 22

What is the central executive (3) part of working memory?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Explain the key aspect of the working memory (it differentiates between visual/ auditory stores)

Answer 23

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)

Question 24

Experiment with arrows pointing to coloured rectangles to memorize. Asked people with low and high memory capacity how much they remembered

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Based on the experiment what is the critical role of the central executive?

Answer 25

To ensure irrelevant info doesn’t answer memory

Question 26

What is the episodic buffer?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Differences in working memory + general intelligence are _________ related

Answer 27

Causally related

Possibly due to developmental factors

Question 28

Where is working memory?

Answer 28

All over the brain

Question 29

During short term and working memory where is activity increased in fMRI?

Answer 29

Prefrontal cortex