everyday memory and working memory

Question 1

describe aspects to the phonological loop.

Answer 1

• limited capacity slave system
• process verbal information
• phonological store: stores auditory information
• articulatory rehearsal: converts visual info to auditory info and maintains auditory info via rehearsal.

Question 2

evidence for the phonological loop comes from:

Answer 2

• phonological similarity effect
• irrelevant speech effect
• word length effect
• articulatory suppression

Question 3

describe the visa-spatial sketchpad

Answer 3

• limited capacity slave system for storing visual and spatial info.

Question 4

evidence for visa-spatial sketchpad comes from:

Answer 4

• corsi block tapping test
• phillips matrix task
• double dissociation between spatial and visual span in brain damaged patients.

Question 5

describe the episodic buffer.

Answer 5

• limited capacity storage for ‘chunks’ or episodes

- integrates info from different modalities and LTM.

Question 6

the episodic buffer is needed because:

Answer 6

• articulatory suppression reduces, but does not eliminate digit span for visual stimuli.
• some amnesiacs show immediate recall for complex info, beyond limited capacity of existing storage systems.
• its unclear how info from different modalities and LTM is bound and stored.
• its unclear how rehearsal operates outside of articulatory rehearsal.
• LTM influences working memory.

Question 7

what was found from testing the visuo-spatial bootstrapping?

Answer 7

• recall in control condition impaired to greater extent than recall in keypad condition during articulatory suppression.
• recall in keypad condition no longer superior when spatial task performed concurrently.

Question 8

how does visa-spatial bootstrapping support a system that is separate to central executive processes.

Answer 8

bootstrapping does not decline with age, independent to central executive system.
- VSB is evidenced at the same age as episodic buffers matures.

Question 9

describe the difference between retrograde and anterograde amnesia.

Answer 9

RA refers to problems remembering events prior to onset of amnesia, usually graded in nature, whereas AA refers to impairment in ability to remember new information learned after the onset of amnesia.

Question 10

define the temporal gradient in amnesia.

Answer 10

• RA often present with better memory for older memories than more recent memories.

Question 11

define standard model of consolidation in relation to temporal gradient in amnesia.

Answer 11

older memories strengthened by secondary consolidation over years, but newer memory cannot undergo secondary consolidation when the hippocampus sustains damage.

Question 12

define the multiple trace model in relation to temporal gradient in amnesia.

Answer 12

older memories converted to semantic memories so are not dependant on the hippocampus, newer memories are episodic and dependant on hippocampus for retrieval.

Question 13

what is preserved in amnesia.

Answer 13

• procedural memory
• repetition priming
• recognition ( know-familiarity)
• old semantic memories

Question 14

what is impaired is amnesia.

Answer 14

• episodic memory
• recall
• recognition (remember-recollect)

Question 15

what is controversial in relation to amnesiacs impairment.

Answer 15

• ability to acquire new semantic memories
• nature and extent of recognition deficits.
• distinction between implicit/ explicit? episodic/semantic?

Question 16

describe conflicting evidence revolving the hippocampus.

Answer 16

• whether hippocampus is important in recollection.

- whether para-hippocampus regions are important in familiarity-based recognition.

Question 17

true or false: WM remains intact in amnesiacs.

Answer 17

true!

Question 18

conflicting evidence whether there is impairment to WM I relation to:

Answer 18

• spatial abilities

- relational binding

Question 19

state how retrieval can be enhanced.

Answer 19

• more meaningful encoding
• when encoding context matches retrieval context
• when a persons internal state during encoding matches their internal state during retrieval.
• when a task used for encoding matches task for retrieval.

Question 20

describe the absolute VS diagnostic value.

Answer 20

not similarity in features between encoding and retrieval that is important in enchanting retrieval, but the presence of features with diagnostic values.

• P’s studied cue-target pairs during learning phase and presented with cues during test phase, greater diagnostic value of cues lead to higher retrieval.
• when encoding-retrieval matches enhanced diagnostic value it also enhances retrieval.