Lecture 6 (Ch.5 Short Term and Working Memory)

Question 1

What is memory?

Answer 1

Retention, retrieval, and use of information AFTER original information is no longer present.

Question 2

Consequence of memory?

Answer 2

Past experience impacts future thoughts and behaviour.

Question 3

What is the role of attention in memory?

Answer 3

Short term and working memory are like extensions of executive attention. Supervisory Attentional Control
Attention is the input information from various sources into consciousness.

Question 4

Modal Model of Memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin)

Answer 4

Sensory memory –> Short term memory –> Long term memory

Question 5

Sensory memory

Answer 5

Capacity of everything in perceptual field. Holds it for a fraction of a seconds - decays fast!

Question 6

Short term memory

Answer 6

Capacity: a few items

Holds for a few seconds (15-20)

Question 7

Long term memory

Answer 7

Unlimited! Holds for years/decades.

Question 8

What are control processes?

Answer 8

Active processes to retain information in memory (in modal model of memory)
Ex: rehearsal

Question 9

What is iconic and echoic memory?

Answer 9

Sensory memories.
Iconic - visual. ex: see sparkler’s trail of light
Echoic - auditory. ex: hearing a word later (ask what - but then realize)

Question 10

What study used to test out sensory memory?

Answer 10

Flash 12 letters on screen for fraction of second. When participants asked what letters they saw got 4.5/12.
When told to focus on a specific row of 4 avg. 3.3/4
When delayed then asked what they saw performance deteriorates (Shows sensory memory deteriorates quick)

Question 11

What does +/-7 refer to?

Answer 11

Capacity of short-term memory

Question 12

Chunking

Answer 12

Tool used to remember more in short term
Ex: remember 9 digit span…we may chunk into three - 3 digit numbers
EX: trained student to remember string of 79 digits by chunking into MEANINGFUL units.

Question 13

What is the Brown-Peterson task?

Answer 13

Read three letters and number. Then count backwards by threes (so can’t rehearse). After set time; recall the three letters.
Results: Sharp decrease in performance after short amount of time. (that’s how they got 15-20 seconds)

Question 14

Proactive interference

Answer 14

Previously learned info interferes with new learning

Question 15

Retroactive interfernce

Answer 15

Newly learned info interferes with old learning

Question 16

What’s the difference between short term memory and working memory?

Answer 16

Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
Definition: LIMITED CAPACITY system for TEMPORARY storage and MANIPULATION of information
WORKING MEMORY : More COMPLEX - INVOLVED in more COMPLEX aspects of COGNITION (Reasoning, Problem-Solving, Learning)

Question 17

Baddeley’s working memory model

Answer 17

Phonological Loop
Visuospatial Sketch Pad
Central Executive

Question 18

What is phonological loop

Answer 18

Phonological store: limited capacity and holds information for only a few seconds
Articulatory rehearsal process: responsible for
rehearsal that can keep items in the phonological store from decaying.
Auditory-verbal working memory - verbal capacity
Evidence:
phonological similarity effect, the word
length effect, and articulatory suppression.

Question 19

Phonological similarity effect

Answer 19

confusion of words or letters that sound similar

Question 20

Word length effect

Answer 20

memory for lists of words is better for short words than for long words

Question 21

Articulatory suppression

Answer 21

Repetition of an irrelevant sound results in a phenomenon called articulatory suppression, which reduces memory because speaking interferes with rehearsal.

Question 22

What is the Visuospatial Sketch Pad

Answer 22

Involved in visual imagery 
Visual/spatial working memory; nonverbal capacity
Evidence: 
Mental rotation task
Tasks needing more rotation took longer

Question 23

What is the central executive?

Answer 23

Very similar to supervisory attentional control “manipulation”, juggling of attention to WM tasks

Question 24

What is the episodic buffer?

Answer 24

Holds and combines information from phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad.
“Backpup” storage b/w STM and LTM - holds info longer

Question 25

Prefrontal cortex

Answer 25

Highly involved with WM.
- Monkey delayed response task –> monkey sees food in one of two wells; wells covered; screen lowered +delayed; screen removed and monkey chooses food in right well (therefore, remembers where food was)
Monkeys with prefrontal cortex removed can’t do this.

• Neurons in prefrontal cortex kept firing while delayed (also important neurons fired for specific areas)

Question 26

Brain areas for phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 26

Phonological loop - left frontal (expressive verbal)

Visuospatial Sketchpad - right frontal (imagery, nonverbal

Question 27

Problems with working memory

Answer 27

ADHD.
Often problems with WM (related to “Central Executive” or Supervisory Attentional Control)
Problems with “Multitasking” and “juggling” several items at a time in WM
Affects capacity to learn new information AND retrieve information from LTM

Question 28

Anxiety and working memory

Answer 28

More anxiety, less working memory.