Cognitive Approach Flashcards
Define Memory
Memory is a fundamental cognitive process that allows individuals to encode, store, and retrieve information.
Who proposed the Multi Store Model of Memory (MSM)
Atkinson and Shiffrin
Define MSM
The Multi-Store Model is a cognitive theory that explains how memory is structured. It suggests that memory is made up of three separate stores: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). IInformation first enters sensory memory, and if attended to, it moves into STM, where it remains for a short duration unless rehearsed. Through rehearsal, information is transferred to LTM for long-term storage; otherwise, it is lost. Each store has its own capacity, duration, and coding system.
What did Glanzer and Cunitz investigate
Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) investigated the serial position effect
Define serial position effect
One effect that supports the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM) is the serial position effect, which shows that people tend to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle. This includes the primacy effect (where early items are rehearsed and stored in long-term memory) and the recency effect (where later items are still held in short-term memory).
Aim of Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)
Glanzer & Cunitz aimed to investigate the serial position effect. The researchers wanted to see whether the position of a word in a list would affect the likelihood of it being recalled, and whether this would support the idea of distinct memory systems.
Glanzer & Cunitz procedure (1966)
In the procedure, participants were read a list of 15 words, one at a time, and then asked to recall as many of the words as they could in any order, a method known as free recall. The experiment included two main conditions. In the first condition, participants recalled the words immediately after hearing the list. In the second condition, there was a 30-second delay before recall, during which participants had to complete a distractor task, such as counting backwards, to prevent rehearsal of the words.
Findings of Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)
The findings showed that in the immediate recall condition, participants were most likely to remember words from the beginning and the end of the list. This created what is known as the serial position curve, demonstrating the primacy effect for words at the beginning (suggesting they were stored in LTM) and the recency effect for words at the end (suggesting they were still in STM).
However, in the delayed recall condition, the recency effect disappeared, while the primacy effect remained. This indicated that the words at the end of the list had not been transferred to long-term memory and were lost once short-term memory faded.
Evaluation of Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)
-high level of control.
By using word lists of equal length and including a distractor task in the delayed condition, the researchers were able to isolate the influence of rehearsal and short-term memory on recall. This increases the internal validity of the experiment, making it easier to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the timing of recall and memory performance.
-lack of ecological validity. Remembering a list of unrelated words in a lab setting does reflect how we use memory in real life, which means the findings may not generalize well to everyday memory situations.
HM-Milner procedure
Milner conducted a longitudinal case study on a patient known as H.M. (Henry Molaison), who had undergone a lobotomy to treat severe epilepsy. During the surgery, large portions of his medial temporal lobes, including the hippocampus, were removed. HM underwent brain scans using MRI to confirm the damage. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a brain imaging technique that allowed researchers to see the exact areas of damage in H.M.’s brain, helping them link his memory problems specifically to the hippocampus.
Milner studied H.M. using many different methods, such as IQ tests, interviews, observations, and memory recall tasks. She also gave him a reverse mirror drawing task, where he had to trace a shape while only seeing it through a mirror. This task was used to test his procedural memory, which is a type of long-term memory involved in learning motor skills.
HM-Milner findings
HM’s episodic and semantic memory were significantly impaired, as he was unable to form new memories of events or general knowledge after the surgery.
However, his procedural memory remained intact, as shown by his ability to learn and perform the reverse mirror-drawing task, even though he could not recall learning it. Additionally,
HM’s STM was functional; he could retain information briefly with rehearsal but was unable to transfer it to LTM. The MRI confirmed damage to the hippocampus, highlighting its role in memory consolidation.
What are the 3 types of long term memory (examined in HM-Milner)
Episodic memory is the memory of personal experiences and specific events, including the time and place they occurred. For example, remembering your last birthday party.
Semantic memory is the memory of general knowledge, facts, and concepts that are not tied to personal experiences. For example, knowing that Paris is the capital of France.
Procedural memory is the memory of how to perform tasks and actions, often learned through repetition and practice. For example, knowing how to ride a bike or tie your shoelaces.
Evaluation of HM-Milner
HM’s case provides strong biological evidence that STM and LTM are separate systems, reinforcing the MSM’s claims.
His inability to transfer information to LTM due to hippocampal damage suggests that this brain structure plays a critical role in memory consolidation.
However, as a case study of a single individual, HM’s memory deficits may not be fully representative of memory processes in the general population.
Furthermore, the fact that he could learn new motor skills, despite his inability to form new memories, indicates that LTM is more complex than the MSM proposes.
This highlights a limitation of the model, as it assumes that LTM is a singular system, whereas research suggests the existence of multiple types of long-term memory, such as episodic, semantic, and procedural memory.
Who developed WMM
Baddeley and Hitch
contrast MSM and WMM (intro)
While both models acknowledge the existence of short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM), they differ in their explanations of how information is processed within STM.
Define WMM
Working Memory Model, proposed by Baddeley and Hitch is a model of memory that challngese MSM. It suggests that short-term memory is not a single store, but a system made up of multiple components that work together manipulate information. The model includes the central executive, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and later the episodic buffer.
Define Central executive
The central executive acts as a control system that directs attention and allocates resources to the other subsystems.
Define phonological loop
The phonological loop deals with verbal and auditory information. It includes the articulatory control system (inner voice), which rehearses words silently, and the phonological store (inner ear), which briefly holds sound-based information.
Define visuospatial sketchpad
The visuospatial sketchpad handles visual and spatial information, such as images, layouts, or movements.
Define Episodic buffer
The episodic buffer is a temporary store that integrates information from the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and long-term memory.
AIm of Landry and Bartling
To investigate whether articulatory suppression would influence the recall of a list of phonologically dissimilar letters,
Define Articulatory suppression
Articulatory suppression is the process of inhibiting memory performance by speaking while being presented with an item to remember.
Landry & Bartling Procedure
in this experiment, participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Both groups were shown a list of seven phonologically dissimilar letters—letters that do not sound alike. The control group was asked to memorize and recall the letters without any interference. In contrast, the experimental group had to repeat the numbers “1” and “2” continuously while viewing and recalling the letters, a task known as articulatory suppression. Each participant completed ten trials, and their accuracy in recalling the letters in the correct order was recorded.
Findings of Landry & Bartling
The findings showed that participants in the control group recalled significantly more letters correctly than those in the experimental group. The reduced performance in the experimental group suggests that when the phonological loop is overloaded, memory for verbal information is impaired, highlighting the WMM’s idea that short-term memory consists of specialized components.
