Coding, Capacity and Duration (M)

Question 1

Coding

Answer 1

Format in which memory is stored

The process of converting information from one form to another

Question 2

Capacity

Answer 2

The amount that of information that can be held in the memory store

Question 3

Duration

Answer 3

The length of time information is stored

Question 4

STM

Answer 4

Limited capacity memory store

Question 5

LTM

Answer 5

Permanent memory store, coding is semantic (It has unlimited capacity and can store memories up to a lifetime

Question 6

What happens once information gets into the memory system?

Answer 6

It is stored in different formats depending on the memory store

Question 7

What is the experiment for coding?

Answer 7

Baddeley (1966a, 1966b)

Question 8

What was Baddeley’s experiment?

Answer 8

Give different lists of words to four groups of participants to remember 
Group 1= acoustically similar 
Group 2= acoustically dissimilar  
Group 3= semantically similar 
Group 4=  semantically dissimilar 

Participants were then asked to recall the words in the correct order

Question 9

What were the results of Baddeley’s experiment?

Answer 9

When asked to do this immediately the acoustically similar group were worse (STM)

After 20 Minutes the group with semantically similar words were worse (LTM)

Question 10

What did Baddeley’s results suggest?

Answer 10

That information is coded semantically in the LTM

Question 11

Evaluation of Baddeley’s experiment

Answer 11

Artificial stimuli so word lists had no personal meaning so there are difficulties generalising and have limited application

Question 12

What is the expriment for capacity?

Answer 12

Jacobs (1887) Digital span

Question 13

What was Jacobs experiment?

Answer 13

Recall 4 digits in order, If correct 5 digits are given to recall and so on until a mistake is made (reading allowed) and this Is your digital span

Question 14

What were the results from Jacobs experiment?

Answer 14

Mean span = 9.3 digital items and 7.3 letter items

Question 15

What Was millers experiment for?

Answer 15

(1956)

Span of memory and chunking

Question 16

What was millers experiment?

Answer 16

Observed everyday practice and noted the importance of sevens
7 musical notes, 7 days of the week, seven deadly sins

Question 17

What did millers results suggest?

Answer 17

That the span of the STM is about 7 (+/-2)

He noted that people can recall 5 words just as well as five letters

Question 18

What is chunking?

Answer 18

Grouping sets of digits or letters into units/chunks

Question 19

What is the evaluation of millers experiment?

Answer 19

Lacks validity as it lacks adequate control of confounding variables

May have overestimated the capacity of STM
(Cowan 2001, capacity is only 4 chunks so five is more believable than 7)

Question 20

What is the experiment for duration of short term memory?

Answer 20

Peterson and Peterson (1959)

Question 21

What was Peterson and Petersons experiment?

Answer 21

24 undergraduate students,each student had 8 trials

On each trial students were given a consonant syllable to remember and a 3 digit number

They were then asked to count backwards from 3 digit number until stopped , each trial stopping a different times (retention interval)

Question 22

What were the results of Petersons x2 experiment?

Answer 22

STM has a very short duration unless it is repeatedly regularly

Question 23

What is the evaluation of petersons and petersons experiment?

Answer 23

Stimulus material is artificial - not real so consequently lacks external validity (however we do remember random phone numbers)