Evaluation Points

Question 1

One strength is evidence support to support model. Case studies; such as KF who suffered brain damage to verbal STM but not LTM or visual STM. Supports the idea of multiple stores.

Answer 1

Multi-Store Model. (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

Question 2

One weakness is evidence suggests the store is not unitary; research disproves one type of STM. Case study of KF who damaged verbal STM but not visual STM. Problem because KF’s STM should have been damaged equally.

Answer 2

Multi-Store Model. (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

Question 3

One support is Murdock (1962). Murdock’s serial position research; items at the beginning of the list have a greater recall than the middle (primacy effect) and words at the end of the list also have greater recall than the middle (recency effect). Support the idea that rehearsed information passes into LTM (primacy effect) and recall of recent words shows the information has not had time to decay (recency effect).

Answer 3

Multi-Store Model. (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

Question 4

One weakness is evidence suggests the store is not unitary; research disproves one type of LTM. Case study of Clive Wearing who lost his episodic memory but has use of his procedural memory. Problem as Wearing’s LTM should have been damaged properly.

Answer 4

Multi-Store Model. (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

Question 5

One strength is evidence to support the sensory register from Sperling (1960). When participants were shown a letter chart for 50 milliseconds and asked to recall the letters, they could remember 3 letters on average. However, if a high, medium or low tone was played to signify the different letter rows, participants could recall 3 letters from any row. Support as it suggests that the sensory register has a large capacity and short duration.

Answer 5

The Multi-Store Model. (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

Question 6

One strength is real life applications. Psychologists can identify and target certain kinds of memory in the STM; educational psychologists can develop training to improve verbal memory in students. Support as it shows how better understanding of STM can improve people’s lives.

Answer 6

The Working Memory Model. (Baddeley and Hitch)

Question 7

One weakness is that little is known about the Central Executive. There is not much evidence to support its existence; some psychologists argue that it is an ‘umbrella store’ to cover unexplained features. Problem as all aspects of STM cannot be explained.

Answer 7

The Working Memory Model. (Baddeley and Hitch)

Question 8

One weakness is the theory fails to account for musical memory. It does not explain why music is processed differently to other sounds; Berz (1995) demonstrated that participants could complete auditory tasks while listening to instrumental music. Problem as it suggests that there may be more than one acoustic store.

Answer 8

The Working Memory Model. (Baddeley and Hitch)

Question 9

One strength is that evidence supports the view that STM is not unitary. Research suggests separate stores for STM; Case study of KF who damaged his verbal STM but not visual. Support because his memory would have been damaged equally.

Answer 9

The Working Memory Model. (Baddeley and Hitch)

Question 10

One strength for non-unitary STM is from ‘dual-task’ research. Can explain why participants struggle to process two similar tasks but can process two different tasks because different slave systems are being used; Baddeley et al (1975) found participants struggled to do two visual tasks (track light and describe the letter ‘F’) than doing one verbal and one visual task. Support as it suggests the existence of separate slave systems.

Answer 10

The Working Memory Model. (Baddeley and Hitch)

Question 11

One strength is brain scan evidence. PET scans show different areas of the brain are used while undertaking visual and verbal tasks. Support as it suggests that the separate slave systems may also be physically separate.

Answer 11

The Working Memory Model. (Baddeley and Hitch)

Question 12

One strength is evidence supporting different types. Case studies support the theories views; Clive Wearing lost his episodic memory but still has use of his procedural memory after a viral infection in the brain. Support as all of his memory should have been damaged.

Answer 12

Different Types of LTM. (Tulving)

Question 13

One weakness is evidence from brain-damaged patients. They are relatively rare and may not represent how memory works for everyone; Clive Wearing’s memory may function differently to someone else. Problem as it reduces external validity because evidence cannot be generalised.

Answer 13

Different Types of LTM. (Tulving)

Question 14

One strength is brain scan evidence. PET scans show different areas of the brain being used for different types of memory; Tulving et al (1994) found episodic and semantic memories are recalled from different sides of the prefrontal cortex and procedural memory is associated with the cerebellum. Support as it shows that different types of memory may be physically separate.

Answer 14

Different Types of LTM. (Tulving)

Question 15

One weakness is ignoring a fourth type of memory. Research has identified ‘priming’ where implicit memories influence a person’s responses to a stimulus; if a list of words includes yellow and then someone is asked to name a fruit, they may be more likely to answer ‘banana’. Problem as it suggests memory is more complex.

Answer 15

Different Types of LTM. (Tulving)

Question 16

One strength is real-life applications. Psychologists can target certain kinds of memory; Belleville et al (2006) developed memory training to improve episodic memory in older people. Strength as it shows how a better understanding of memory can improve people’s lives.

Answer 16

Different Types of LTM. (Tulving)

Question 17

One strength is evidence that comes from McGeogh and McDonald (1931). When participants learnt a list of words with 100% accuracy, they were asked to learn a new list of similar words; very strong memories can still be disrupted by new information that is similar. Strength as it supports the strong effects of interference.

Answer 17

Forgetting due to interference (Retroactive).

Question 18

One strength is evidence that comes from Underwood (1957). He found after conducting a meta-analysis that in a list of word, participants do not learn the words at the end of the series as well as the words at the beginning of the series; concluded that earlier words disrupt new information. Strength as it supports the strong effects of interference.

Answer 18

Forgetting due to interference (Proactive).

Question 19

One weakness is that the research support uses materials that are meaningless. The materials used in laboratory experiments do not reflect the kinds of information we use our memory for in real-life; what we are trying to remember is more meaningful and varied than a list of words or numbers. Weakness as it is not representative of real-life forgetting.

Answer 19

Forgetting due to interference (Retroactive and Proactive).

Question 20

One strength is evidence that comes from different studies: Abernethy (1940) found that participants forgot more when they were tested in a different room with a different instructor to when they learned the information. Godden and Baddeley (1975) found that scuba divers forgot more when their learning context did not match the retrieval context (underwater or on land). Strength as it supports the view of retrieval failure.

Answer 20

Forgetting due to retrieval failure (Context-Dependent).

Question 21

One strength is real-life applications. This explanation can be used to reduce forgetting in the real-world; Smith (1979) who proved context reinstatement was just as effective as being in the same room at the time of retrieval. Strength as it may help people recall information more easily.

Answer 21

Forgetting due to retrieval failure.

Question 22

One strength is evidence that comes from Goodwin et al (1969): male volunteers who learnt a list of words while drunk or sober forgot most when their state during retrieval did not match the learning state; concluded that forgetting applies to degrees of intoxication as well as emotion. Strength as there is evidence for a variety of different states.

Answer 22

Forgetting due to retrieval failure (State-Dependent).

Question 23

One strength is high degree of control over variables. The controlled setting of a laboratory means that potential extraneous variables are easily controlled; could ensure that lighting while viewing the films was the same. Strength as it gives the research high internal validity.

Answer 23

Effects of leading questions (Loftus and Palmer).

Question 24

One strength is practical applications. Findings may be used to warn the criminal justice system about potential problems with EWT; juries can take into account a range of evidence before making a decision. Strength as it can help avoid inaccurate judgement being made in court.

Answer 24

Effects of leading questions (Loftus and Palmer).

Question 25

One weakness is that using students as a sample is unrepresentative. All the participants were one type of person who is not generally representative of the population; students may be of above-average intelligence. Problem as the results lack population validity.

Answer 25

Effects of leading questions (Loftus and Palmer).

Question 26

One weakness is that the research lacks ecological validity. The artificial setting of a laboratory does not reflect real-life EWT; studies do not represent the experience of witnessing a real-life car accident in the street and lack the same emotion that may be felt. Problem as the findings cannot be generalised.

Answer 26

Effects of leading questions (Loftus and Palmer).

Question 27

One weakness is evidence that comes from Yuille and Cutshall (1986): 4 months after a real-life robbery in Canada, 13 eyewitnesses were not affected by two leading questions and gave the same responses they did in their initial reports; concluded that misleading information does not affect real-life EWT. Problem as original findings cannot be generalised.

Answer 27

Effects of leading questions (Loftus and Palmer).

Question 28

One strength is that it is easy to replicate. The controlled setting of a laboratory experiment makes it easy to repeat the study; research could have shown the same video in each condition. Positive as the findings can be tested for reliability.

Answer 28

Effects of post-event discussion (Gabbert et al).

Question 29

One strength is evidence that comes from Bodner et al (2009). They found similar strong effects; also found that negative effects can be reduced if participants are warned about them. Positive as it supports the idea of memory conformity.

Answer 29

Effects of post-event discussion (Gabbert et al).

Question 30

One strength is real-life applications. Witnesses can be warned about ‘second-hand information’ from other witnesses; real-life witness can be warned about memory conformity and how it unfairly influences the justice process. Positive as it can avoid inaccurate judgement in court.

Answer 30

Effects of post-event discussion (Gabbert et al).

Question 31

One strength is the positive effect on the economy. Developing strategies can improve the efficiency in the legal system; allowing police to spend less time and money investigating inaccurate claims. Positive as it helps to reduce waste in the system.

Answer 31

Effects of post-event discussion (Gabbert et al).

Question 32

One weakness is that ‘mock crimes’ lack the consequences of real-life crimes. Participants are aware that the information they give have no serious consequences unlike in real-life where an individual can be sent to prison or set free; people may be less likely to claim they saw the girl commit a crime in real-life due to the potential effects of their testimony. Problem as the findings do not represent real-life EWT.

Answer 32

Effects of post-event discussion (Gabbert et al).

Question 33

One strength is the high degree of control over variables. The controlled environment of a laboratory controls potential extraneous variables; the man who appeared on the photographs can be standardised. Strength as the research has high internal validity.

Answer 33

Effects of anxiety/weapon-focus (Johnson and Scott).

Question 34

One weakness is ethical issues. Researchers may have failed to protect their participants from harm; exposing them to a traumatic event (man holding knife with blood) can cause lasting harm. Problem as it goes against the ethical code of conduct.

Answer 34

Effects of anxiety/weapon-focus (Johnson and Scott).

Question 35

One strength is evidence that comes from Loftus et al (1987): they found that the presence of a weapon causes eye movements towards the weapon and away from the person’s face; concluded that the anxiety caused by a weapon can affect the focus of attention. Support as it supports the weapon-focus effect.

Answer 35

Effects of anxiety/weapon-focus (Johnson and Scott).

Question 36

One weakness is evidence that comes from Christianson and Hubinette (1993): out of 58 real witnesses to a bank robbery, those who were directly threatened had a more accurate recall, even 15 months later; concluded that anxiety can improve the accuracy of EWT. Problem as it argues the effects of anxiety.

Answer 36

Effects of anxiety/weapon-focus (Johnson and Scott).

Question 37

One strength is Yerkes-Dodson Law. This theory states that anxiety can improve EWT to an ‘optimal point’, after this, anxiety reduces accuracy; concluded that the weapon-focus effect research reduced accuracy because the anxiety levels were higher than the ‘optimal point’. Support’s research as well as explains other research into anxiety.

Answer 37

Effects of anxiety/weapon-focus (Johnson and Scott).

Question 38

One strength is evidence that comes from Kohnken et al (1999). In a meta-analysis, they found a 34% increase in correct information; concluded that older interview methods were less effective. Positive as it supports the proposed techniques.

Answer 38

Cognitive Interview (Fischer and Geisleman).

Question 39

One strength is the positive effect on the economy. Improving the accuracy of EWT can improve the efficiency of the legal system; can help police identify criminals sooner by maximising information given by eyewitnesses. Positive as it helps reduce waste and improve the efficiency of the justice system.

Answer 39

Cognitive Interview (Fischer and Geisleman).

Question 40

One weakness is ethical issues. Asking participants to ‘relive’ traumatic experiences and lead to a lack of protection from harm; someone who has witnessed a violent murder or sexual assault might find it hard to go through the event in vivid detail. Problem as it goes against the ethical code of conduct.

Answer 40

Cognitive Interview (Fischer and Geisleman).

Question 41

One weakness is that police have criticised the duration of the technique. In practice, some officers felt unable to complete a full interview due to a lack of time and the need for key details rather than great details; officers favour using RE and CR instructions over the CP or RO instructions. Problem as it suggests that not all of the techniques are useful and efficient.

Answer 41

Cognitive Interview (Fischer and Geisleman).

Question 42

One weakness is that it may increase inaccurate recall. Some studies show that it increases recall of incorrect information as well as correct information; Kohnken et al (1999) found a 61% increase in incorrect information when comparing to a standard interview. Problem as it suggests that the techniques are not as efficient.

Answer 42

Cognitive Interview (Fischer and Geisleman).