Cognitive psychology Flashcards
What does Bartletts theory of reconstructive memory suggest?
Our memory is not like a tape recorder, we dont accuratley recall things from our long term memory. Instead our memory is reconstructed every time it’s recalled.
What is Bartletts schema theory?
They are mental representations about a specfic event or object that we use as a template for any new events/experinces. Also may use them as a way to fill in gaps in memory recall.
What is confabulation according to the Schema Theory?
How we fill in gaps in our recalling of memorys based on our schema e.g remebering hearing a bang after seeing 2 cars collide behind soundproof glass
What is Rationalisation according to the Schema Theory?
How we make sense of info based on our schema and make a situation fit in a way we think is rational even if that isnt what happened.
What is the Sensory memory according to MSM?
Info is put into our sesory register through our senses and is encoded for a limited amount of time. It will be held for about 2 seconds but if the infomation is attended too it will pass into short term.
What is the short term memory according to MSM?
A store of a limited amount of items (7 +or- 2) by sound. lasts around 15-30 seconds. If it is not rehearsed then it is lost.
What is the long term memory according to MSM?
In the long term memory we can hold an infinite amount of information forever. It is stored semantically, visually or auditory. Information can also decay over time.
What is 2 positives of Multi-store memory theory?
It is reductionist as it can give simple view of memory. It can provide useful predictions about how memory.
Case study of HM found when hippocampus damaged he couldn’t make new memories in STM but could recall LTM from his past showing they are 2 different stores.
What are 2 criticisms of Multi-store memory?
It does not consider individual differences as it doesn’t explain why people remember things differently to other people lowers validity.
Baddley said LTM not unitary store, Visio spatial sketch pad and central executive, so not complete explanation of memory.
What was the aim of Baddeley’s 1966 study?
The affect of acoustic and semantically similar an dissimlar words on the STM and LTM.
How many people took part in Baddleys 1966 study?
72 men and women from the applied psychology research panel in Cambridge.
What types of words did Baddley use in their study?
Acoustically similar words like cad and cat, dissimilar ones like pit or cow.
Used semantically similar words like big large and dissimlar words like hot and old.
What was the procedure of baddleys study?
There was four trails for the a word list.
These were Presented one word every 3 seconds.
Then a distraction task and then they recalled the list of words in order
Then a 15 min digit copying task.
Then a final surprise of words in correct order
What were the results of Baddleys study?
Intial learning harder for accoustically simlar words compared the dissimlar words in STM, but when words were in LTM no big difference.
Semantically similar words had slower learning and recall in surprise retest than dissimilar ones.
What was the conclusion of Baddleys study?
LTM is impaired by sematic similarity as LTM uses semantic coding alot.
Info will be encoded acoustically for STM but has to be given semantic meaning to pass into LTM.
What is a episodic memory according to Tulvings theory?
It is autobiographical so contains events and experiences and dates and times that relate to them. This can all be encoded in ways like smells, sights and sounds. e.g Holidays, days out, school
How are episodic memories encoded?
Encoded to how they are experienced. The context and senses experinced at the place when the memory took place can also be used to help recall the memory. This is means it is cue dependent.
What is a semantic memory according to Tulvings theory?
They help relate meanings we attach to words symbols or language. They are not organised into when and where they were encoded and are unlikley to chnage with recall. Stored in LTM. e.g 2+2=4 or capital cities.
What is some supporting evidence of Episodic and Semantic memory theory?
Baddley’s scuba diving, they found that when the divers learned and recalled words underwater and on land that they performed twice as well when thye recalled the words in the place they learned them.
Also case study of KF who had a motorbike accident. Couldn’t recall personal life events but could recall factual information showing two different stores of LTM.
What are the Baddeley and Hitch Working Memory Models 3 different components?
The centeral executive which runs the memory system by supervising and controlling info
the phonological loop which controls and holds sound info
visuospatial sketchpad which deals with visual and spatial info.
What is Bartletts supporting evidence of his theory?
Tested recall of “war of the ghosts” story from soon afterwards till up to a year later. Found participants rationalised parts of the story based on their culture eg “died at sunset instead of sunrise” and participants shortened and added new details to the story.
What is a weakness of Bartletts reconstructive memory theory?
Wyn and Logie found when a memory is personal like their first day of university it can be recalled accurately up to 6 months later suggesting memories can be accurate when personal.
What are 2 weaknesses of Tulvings episodic and semantic memory theory?
Case of study of HM: he couldn’t recall long term episodic memories but could remember how to play the piano showing another type of memory store relating to skills
Much of the supporting evidence uses artificial tasks eg word recall in lab so low eco val and can’t generalise results about memory’s stores to real world
What are the components of the phonological loop?
Deals with auditory information made do two separate components:
The primary acoustic store holds auditory traces which decays if not rehearsed
The articularory loops deals with rehearsing auditory traces by talking through the info in your head.
