Chapter 6: Acquisition and working memory

Question 1

Define Aquisition

Answer 1

the process of gaining information and placing it into memory

Question 2

Define Storage

Answer 2

holding something in memory

Question 3

Define Retrieval

Answer 3

locating the information in memory and brining it to active use

Question 4

Explain the primacy effect

Answer 4

Due to items being more often maintained by rehearsal, higher change to be placed in LTM.

Question 5

Explain the recency effect

Answer 5

Last chunks can still be stored in the WM

Question 6

Retrieving information from long-term memory

Answer 6

Activates hippocampus

Question 7

Retrieving information from short-term memory

Answer 7

Activates Perirhinal cortex

Question 8

Define a chunck

Answer 8

unit of information; a number or letter, or something that combine multiple letters in one unit of information. For example the man who remembered numbers using finishing times as a single chunk

Question 9

What is the digit-span task?

Answer 9

See how many digits in a row a patient can remember

Question 10

What is the sensory memory?

Answer 10

Holds on to raw sensory data, a process of selection and interpretation then moves it to WM.

Question 11

What is the reading span (task)?

Answer 11

Reading sentences and remembering last word in each sentence.

Question 12

What is the operation span?

Answer 12

remembering and doing something in the same time

Question 13

Into which two parts is the WM-system divided?

Answer 13

Central executive and slave systems (visuospatial buffer and articulatory rehearsal loop)

Question 14

What is the function of the visuospatial buffer?

Answer 14

Is a helper like the ARL for the Central executive; but used for mental images

Question 15

How does the Articulatory rehearsal loop work?

Answer 15

Subvocalization (silent speech) launches the rehearsal loop, this produces a representation in the phonological buffer which can be read by the executive control when it is needed in response or decision making

Question 16

What is concurrent articulation and what is its purpose?

Answer 16

A participant speaks or mime speech while doing some other task, so that control mechanisms for speech are in use and cannot be used for subvocalisation, therefore articulatory loop is out-of-order

Question 17

What is the phonological buffer?

Answer 17

Passive storage system, holding recently heard or self-produced sounds are stored for +- 2 seconds, but then can be subvocalised agaain

Question 18

What is the phonological buffer?

Answer 18

Passive storage system, holding recently heard or self-produced sounds are stored for +- 2 seconds, but then can be subvocalised agaain

Question 19

What does the episodic buffer do?

Answer 19

Helps the EC keep track of chronological sequence

Question 20

Give some helpers of the EC:

Answer 20

All of these don’t take up resources of the EC. Episodic buffer, visuospatial buffer, articulatory rehearsal loop. There are more

Question 21

What is the WM-capacity with concurrent articulation?

Answer 21

four to five instead of 7

Question 22

What is important evidence for the articulatory rehearsal loop?

Answer 22

Stimuli that are presented visually also shows sound-alike errors but complex figures do not. & neuroscience shows subvocal and speech production/rehearsal uses same areas

Question 23

How does the EC controls sequences of though and action? (3)

Answer 23

planning and setting goals, selecting and launching responses, inhibiting conflicting actions

Question 24

Do almost all of information processing requires that information remains active?

Answer 24

Yes

Question 25

What does the operation span strongly correlates to?

Answer 25

Standardised test, reading, less mind wandering etc

Question 26

Symptoms of patients with executive order show (2):

Answer 26

• goal neglect

- perseverance (not flexible and remain and current task set even when shouldn’t)

Question 27

What is maintenance rehearsal?

Answer 27

Mindlessly focussing/reciting on to be remembered material without interacting. Unlikely to go into LTM.

Question 28

What is relational/elaborative rehearsal?

Answer 28

Thinking about the material, relating to each other and things already known. Works better than maintenance rehearsal.

Question 29

What is needed for storage in LTM.

Answer 29

Attention! Proven by neuroscience seen by activity in brain

Question 30

Why is working memory limited?

Answer 30

Working memory is limited because otherwise you would not be able to chose things. If it was unlimited you don’t know which apple to pick for example. Limited working memory forces you to make decisions

Question 31

Is intentional learning superior to accidental learning?

Answer 31

No, you cannot improve learning by thinking I have to know/learn this later.

Question 32

What is the difference between shallow and deep processing?

Answer 32

Deep processing is doing a (high) level of processing with a item leads to better memory of that item.

Question 33

Elaborate encoding and simple encoding

Answer 33

More details(elaborate) results in better memory than simple encoding. “Depth of processing promotes recall by facilitating later retrieval”

Question 34

Understanding the material facilitates retrieval

Answer 34

Understanding the material facilitates retrieval