Information Processing and MSM A01 and A03 Flashcards
Processing
The operations we perform on sensory information in the brain.
Input
For human memory, this refers to the sensory information we receive from our environment.
Storage
The retention of information in our memory system.
Encoding
Turning sensory information into a form that can be used and stored by the brain.
Acousting Encoding
The process of storing sound in our memory system.
Visual Encoding
The process of storing something that is seen in our memory system.
Semantic Encoding
The process of storing the meaning of information in our memory system, rather than the sound of a word, we store the definition/meaning of that word.
Output
The information that we recall, e.g. the behavioural response.
Retrieval
The recall of stored memories.
What are the three parts to information processing?
Input
Encoding
Output
Short Term Memory
Our initial memory store that is temporary and limited.
Long Term Memory
A memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to a lifetime.
Duration
The length of time information can be stored in short term and long term memory.
Capacity
The amount of information that can be stored in short term and long term memory.
Rehearse
When we repeat information pver and over again to make it stick.
Displacement
When the short term memory becomes full and new information pushes out older information.
Interference
When new information overwrites older information, fo example when a new phone number takes the place of an old number in your memory.
What is the capacity of STM?
Between 5-9 items (7+/- 2)
Which Psychologist found that there are between 5 and 9 items held in the STM?
George Miller (1956)
What is the duration of STM?
15-30 seconds
What is the duration of LTM?
LTM can last for minutes up to a lifetime.
What is the capacity of LTM?
LTM can hold an unlimited amount of information.
What are the three separate memory stores in the Multi-Store Model of Memory?
Sensory Register
Short Term Memory
Long Term Memory
Who developed the MSM?
Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)
What is the sensory register?
Our immediate memory of sensory information. It is the store that receives all of the sensory information around us and holds it very briefly.
How many stores is the sensory register thought to have?
One for each of our senses (5)
What is Iconic memory?
The sensory register for visual information that lasts for around 1 second before visual information decays.
What is Echoic memory?
The sensory register for auditory (sound) information that lasts a few seconds before sound information decays.
What is Gustatory memory?
The sensory register for for taste.
What is Olfactory memory?
The sensory register for smell.
What is tactile memory?
The sensory register for touch.
What does modality free mean?
It is not linked to a specific type of sensory information. STM is modality free because it can store information from any of our senses.
What is the meaning of attention?
Focusing on certain sensory information.
How is sensory information transferred to the STM?
By paying attention to it.
How is information transferred from STM to LTM?
By rehearsal, which means repeating things out loud or in our heads over and over again.
What is a Trigram?
A set of three letters such as GPX that makes a meaningless string of letters rather than a word.
Who researched the duration of the STM?
Peterson & Peterson (1959)
What is the primacy effect?
The tendency to recall words at the beginning of a list when asked to remember it.
What is the recency effect?
The tendency to recall words at the end of a list when asked to remember it.
What is a strength of MSM?
There is a lot of evidence to support the theory of separate memory stores. Cases of amnesia show how brain injury can damage long-term memory while short term memory remains intact.
Who provided evidence for the MSM?
Ben murdock (1962) - he conducted an experiment that discovered the serial position effect (primacy and recency). This supports the concept of rehearsal.
What is a criticism of MSM?
It overstates the role of rehearsal. Clearly we don’t need to repeat every piece of information over and over again in order to remember it. Sometimes we remember things because they are more meaningful to us.
