Coding, Capacity & Duration Flashcards
1
Q
What is coding?
A
The way information is changed so it can be stored in memory
2
Q
What is Capacity?
A
The measure of how much can be held in memory
3
Q
What is Duration?
A
How long memory lasts before it’s no longer available
4
Q
How is STM coded?
A
Acoustically
5
Q
How is LTM coded?
A
Semantically
6
Q
How does memory stay in our LTM?
A
Through rehearsal
7
Q
What is the capacity of STM and LTM?
A
STM: 7 +/- 2
LTM: Unlimited
8
Q
What is the duration of STM and LTM?
A
STM: 18 - 30 seconds
LTM: Potentially a lifetime
9
Q
STM duration study?
What is a limitation of this study?
A
Peterson & Peterson:
- Participants told to remember letters in 3’s then count backwards, then recall letters
- Virtually all info forgotten after 18 seconds
- This study is artificial
10
Q
LTM duration study?
What is a strength of this study?
A
Bahrick et al:
- Participants tested 40+ years after graduation
- 70% accurate recall of photos
- This study has high external validity
11
Q
STM capacity study?
What is a strength of this study?
A
Jacobs:
- Participants read list of numbers or words that they had to repeat immediately after
- Digit Span: Participants could repeat back 9 numbers and 7 letters
- Miller discovered that chunking increases capacity which supports Jacobs findings
12
Q
STM & LTM coding study?
What is a limitation of this study?
A
Baddeley:
- Acoustically dissimilar words were harder to recall immediately (STM)
- Semantically dissimilar words were harder to recall after 20 mins (LTM)
- The stimuli was not meaningful, doesn’t reflect real life (less external validity)
