Cognition Flashcards
Cognition
Psychological concepts and processes associated with memory and their relationship to behaviour. “higher” mental processes such as thinking, conceptualising, memory, reasoning etc
Memory
Structures and processes involved in the storage and subsequent retrieval of information. Means by which we draw on our past experiences to use this information in the present.
Multi Store Model (Atkinson and Shriffren)
Proposed that memory consisted of three stores: a sensory register, STM and LTM.
What does the multi store model consist of?
- Capacity: how much information can be stored
- Function: what is done with the stored information
- Duration: period of time information can last in the memory stores
Capacity, Function, Duration of STM
30 seconds, 7+-2, holds info for further processing/rehearsal and is mainly auditory.
STM is thoughts, words and images are available for decision making and problem solving
Capacity, Function, Duration of LTM
infinite, infinite, ”permanent” store of all knowledge/ mainly semantic but can be auditory and visual.
Capacity, Function, Duration of SM
Iconic < 1000ms and Echoic < ½ sec
Limited: info competes for attention
Relay sensory info to attentional centre. Stores all five senses in specific registers
Memory retained for short periods of time (less than 5 seconds), step brain chooses to determine what is important (subconscious)
What is iconic memory?
Temporarily sores sensory info of a visual nature
What is echoic memory?
Temporarily stores sensory info of an auditory nature
SM - STM -LTM
Information is encoded from SM to STM only is attended to by sense organs. STM is transferred to LTM through rehearsal where it is ‘stored’ and can be retrieved
Encoding
changing information into a form in which the brain is able to store it (must attend to the info)
Storage
retaining information in the memory so it can be used later
Retrieval
the ability to locate and recover previously stored information
How is memory mentally represented?
memory is a psychological version of the original sound, thought, object or concept
Brown Peterson Technique
- Used to test function of rehearsal
- involving an interference/prevention of rehearsal thus decays retained info in STM and info successfully transferred to LTM
How can you transfer info from STM to LTM (Types of Rehearsal)
Maintenance rehearsal, Elaborative rehearsal and chunking
Maintenance Rehearsal
meaningless rote repetition of material to be remembered (least effective)
Elaborative Rehearsal
applying meaning to new words in order to retain them in memory (most effective)
Chunking
material is combined into larger/meaningful group
What is the Information Processing Model
Atkinson and Shriffren suggested that memory is made up of a series of stores - a limited capacity + central hard drive (analogy of computer).
Explains how processes such as sensation, perception, memory are controlled.
Baddley and Hitch’s Working Memory Model 1974
- believes STM proposed by Multi Store Model is to simple
- believes STM consists of two slave systems STM maintenance of info and one central executive responsible for organising information and coordinating the slave systems
What are Baddley and Hitch’s 4 parts of the STM
Central executive, Phonological loop, visual spatial sketchpad, Episodic buffer
Central executive
- boss of STM
- controls/coordinates the slave systems + relates them to LTM
- controls attention
- sends incoming info to relevant components and stores all sensory info
- enables the STMS to selectively attend to some stimuli and ignore others when 2 activities comes into conflict ie car/phone
Visuospatial Sketchpad
- slave system to CE
- stores, displays and manipulates visual and spatial information held in LTM
- Inner eye
- ie spatial layout of house held in LTM and can be retrieved/displayed on sketchpad.
Phonological loop + 2 parts
- slave system to CE
- deals with spoken and written material (auditory nature)
- Phonological Store – processes incoming information/ holds auditory info for 1/2 seconds. Spoken words enter direct but written must be converted to ACS first.
- Articulatory control process -stores/plans speech production, inner voice rehearsing info (remembering telephone number)
Episodic Buffer
- Links information across domains to form integrated units of visual, spatial and verbal
- Links visual/auditory info with experiences in LTM
- Links LTM to CE
- integrates info from iconic and echoic memory
What are the predictions of the STM Model
- if 2 tasks make use of the same component they cannot be performed together
- if two make use of different components they can be performed together
Two areas of LTM
- Procedural memory
- declarative memory
Procedural memory/ implicit
the way you do things unconsciously/ automatically; the “how to” of memory ie riding bike
Declarative memory/explicit + 2 types
- requires conscious effort, the “what of memory”
- Episodic: memory of your own set of autobiographical events/personal experiences
- Semantic: factual knowledge possessed about the outside world an encyclopaedia of memory.
What are the 3 R’s
Recall, Recognition and Relearning
Recall + 2 types
being able to access the information without being cued
1) Free recall: is memory without prompting ie types of atoms.
2) Cued recall: is when aided by relevant information, ie neutron electron and ___?
Recognition
involves identifying information after experiencing it again, e.g multiple choice questions
Relearning
involves relearning information that has been previously learned. Makes it easier to remember / recall info in the future and can improve the strength of our memories.
If not relearnt will make recall less free and automatic
Forgetting definition
a failure to access information that had previously been stored in memory