Features of STM & LTM and the MSM of memory Flashcards
The multi-store model of memory: sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory. Features of each store: coding, capacity and duration.
What is encoding, storage and retrieval?
- Encoding: how info is broken down to be understood (STM = acoustic, LTM = semantic)
- Storage: storing of info in memory (capacity of STM = 5-9 items, and LTM = unlimited)
- Retrieval: getting info out of storage (duration STM = 18-30 secs, LTM = potentially forever)
What research did Miller conduct?
- Research into STM capacity
- Lab experiment
- Digit span test
- Gave participants series of numbers of which the amount increased after each list
- Participants were told when to write what they could remember: 5-9 items
What research contradicts Miller’s research?
- Cowan conducted similar digit span test
- On average participants remembered 4 items
- STM is less extensive than first thought
What research did Peterson & Peterson conduct?
- Research into STM duration
- Lab experiment
- Memorise consonant syllable
- 24 undergraduates given consonant syllable and a 3 digit number they had to count backwards from for different periods of time to prevent maintenance rehearsal
- Recall consonant syllable after time interval (retention interval)
- Could not recall after 18 secs
What makes Peterson & Peterson’s research less valid?
- Lab experiment is artificial and controlled environment (lacks ecological validity)
- Unfamiliar consonant syllable is not representative of real life situations (lacks mundane realism)
What research did Bahrick conduct?
- Research into LTM duration
- Longitudinal study
- Photo recognition and free recall test
- Photo yearbook shown to 17- 74 year olds
- Free recall (go off memory alone) 60% accuracy for graduates after 15 years, 30% for graduates after 48 years
- Photo recognition 90% accuracy for graduates after 15 years, 70% for graduates after 48 years
- Duration of LTM is therefore potentially forever
Who conducted research into encoding and what did they find?
- Baddeley
- Lab experiment
- List of words to remember
- Acoustically similar words (same sounding) better remembered in STM
- Semantically similar words (same meaning) better remembered in LTM
What is a weakness of the research into encoding?
- STM was tested immediately after hearing the words
- LTM was tested 20 minutes after hearing the words (does not actually test LTM, and rather STM)
- Therefore encoding for STM is not only acoustic
What is chunking?
- Grouping items together in chunks to reduce the amount of info that has to be remembered so that we can recall more
- E.g. phone numbers
What are the main assumptions of the multi store model?
1.) Information passes through different, independent stores of memory
2.) Storing info is a linear process info must pass through all stores to get to LTM)
3.) Pictorial representations of memory
- Proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin
Describe the multi store model of memory
- Sensory store/register: capacity = unlimited, duration = less than 1 second, encoding = 5 senses
- STM: capacity = 5-9 items (Miller), duration = 18-30 secs (Peterson & Peterson), encoding = mainly acoustic (Baddeley)
- LTM: capacity = unlimited, duration = potentially forever (Bahrick), encoding = mainly semantic (Baddeley)
What are two strengths of the multi store model of memory?
1.) Support from case studies: Milner conducted research on patient HM who had epilepsy, seizures based in hippocampus so it was removed, long term memory was impaired (could not create long term memories) but short term memory was still intact
2.) Experiments (primacy and recency effects): Glanzer and Cunitz, primacy effects = words only remembered at the start of list, recency effects = only remembered at the end of list
One group recalled immediately after hearing words (primacy and recency effects)
Other group recalled words after 30 seconds (primacy effects due to maintenance rehearsal in the background)
What is a weakness of the multi store model of memory?
1.) Over-emphasises the role of rehearsal, Craik and Lockhart found that enduring memories are created by the processing you do (deep vs shallow), deep processing = more memorable
