Cognitive Terms Flashcards
Multi-Store Memory Model (MSM)
- simplistic representation of memory inspired by computer science
- memory is stored in 3 locations: sensory, short-term (STM), and long-term (LTM)
- memory is sequential, going between the 3 locations in order
- assumes each store operates in a single, uniform way (groups all types of memory - declarative, episodic, semantic, procedural - into one store)
- sensory is large in capacity, but very short duration and little is transferred to STM
- STM could hold 7 (+/- 2) units and must be rehearsed to transfer to LTM
- LTM virtually endless, but retrieval failure occurs because one cannot find the information
MSM Evaluation
- both biological and cognitive research to support idea that there are separate memory stores
- gave a baseline for memory models
- over-simplified and assumes each memory store operates as an independent unit
- does NOT explain memory distortion
- does not explain memories that are learned with minimal rehearsal (e.g. flashbulbs)
Working Memory Model (WMM)
- replaces STM with four systems:
phonological loop, episodic buffer, visuospatial sketchpad, and central executive
(auditory, conscious awareness, visual, control of all - respectively)
WMM Evaluation
- supported by experimental evidence
- brain scans have shown different areas of the brain are active when carrying out visual and verbal tasks, showing they use different parts of memory
- case studies of patients with brain damage support the idea of more than one STM store (HM)
- helps explain multitasking
- does NOT clearly explain LTM
- does NOT explain memory distortion or emotion in memory formation
Schema Theory
- explains how people process information, relate it to previous knowledge, and use that
- schemas are mental representations or frameworks of information that categorize and sort new input based on prior knowledge and experiences
- cognitive schemas stores and memory and accessed any time
- people remember what makes sense to them, basically
- accounts for memory distortion, since people will adjust to match schema
Schema Theory Evaluation
T: testable (Martin and Halvorson, Brewer and Treyens)
E: biological research to support schema
A: can be applied to memory distortion, abnormal psychology (therapy for depression), etc.
C: argued to be too vague and hypothetical since schemas cannot be observed
U: can be applied cross-culturally
P: helps to predict behavior with what information will be recalled when given lists, but can never be exact
Dual Processing Model
- two systems that deal with different levels of thinking and decision making
System 1:
- automatic, effortless, intuitive
- everyday decision making, but not logic based and is prone to errors due to taking mental short-cuts and misjudging information
System 2:
- more conscious, rational
- takes more effort and time
- can take into account many possibilities and information and evidence from other situations to make decisions
- more reliable, but less confident since it does not rely on intuition
Dual Processing Model Evaluation
- biological evidence that different types of thinking may be processed in different parts of brain
- OVERLY REDUCTIONIST (use this term!!) as it does not explain how, if at all, these models of thinking interact or could be influenced by emotion
- poorly defined, lacks construct validity
Research Methods of Cognitive Processing
- experiments: Martin and Halvorson, Glanzer and Cunitz
- control allows for isolation of IV
- random assignment / matched pairs designs
- establishes cause-and-effect
- replicable, reliable
Ethical Considerations of Cognitive Processing
- informed consent: HM could not remember that he gave consent, Martin and Halvorson used children who cannot give consent for themselves
- confidentiality: HM’s identity kept hidden so as to not be exploited by others
Serial Positioning Effects
Primacy Effect:
- recalling the information at the beginning of a list better because it has moved to LTM
Recency Effect:
- recalling the information at the end of a list better because it is still in STM and has not been displaced yet
Assimilation
- adding new information to existing schemas without modifying them
Accommodation
- new information causes you to change/modify/create schemas
Reconstructive Memory
- theory that memory is distorted by new information because memories are slightly changed with every recall
- only certain details will be remembered, and everything else will be made-up to fill in memory
