Lecture 6 (Ch.5 Short Term and Working Memory) Flashcards
What is memory?
Retention, retrieval, and use of information AFTER original information is no longer present.
Consequence of memory?
Past experience impacts future thoughts and behaviour.
What is the role of attention in memory?
Short term and working memory are like extensions of executive attention. Supervisory Attentional Control
Attention is the input information from various sources into consciousness.
Modal Model of Memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin)
Sensory memory –> Short term memory –> Long term memory
Sensory memory
Capacity of everything in perceptual field. Holds it for a fraction of a seconds - decays fast!
Short term memory
Capacity: a few items
Holds for a few seconds (15-20)
Long term memory
Unlimited! Holds for years/decades.
What are control processes?
Active processes to retain information in memory (in modal model of memory)
Ex: rehearsal
What is iconic and echoic memory?
Sensory memories.
Iconic - visual. ex: see sparkler’s trail of light
Echoic - auditory. ex: hearing a word later (ask what - but then realize)
What study used to test out sensory memory?
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)
What does +/-7 refer to?
Capacity of short-term memory
Chunking
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.
What is the Brown-Peterson task?
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)
Proactive interference
Previously learned info interferes with new learning
Retroactive interfernce
Newly learned info interferes with old learning
What’s the difference between short term memory and working memory?
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)
Baddeley’s working memory model
Phonological Loop
Visuospatial Sketch Pad
Central Executive
What is phonological loop
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.
Phonological similarity effect
confusion of words or letters that sound similar
Word length effect
memory for lists of words is better for short words than for long words
Articulatory suppression
Repetition of an irrelevant sound results in a phenomenon called articulatory suppression, which reduces memory because speaking interferes with rehearsal.
What is the Visuospatial Sketch Pad
Involved in visual imagery Visual/spatial working memory; nonverbal capacity Evidence: Mental rotation task Tasks needing more rotation took longer
What is the central executive?
Very similar to supervisory attentional control “manipulation”, juggling of attention to WM tasks
What is the episodic buffer?
Holds and combines information from phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad.
“Backpup” storage b/w STM and LTM - holds info longer
Prefrontal cortex
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)
Brain areas for phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad
Phonological loop - left frontal (expressive verbal)
Visuospatial Sketchpad - right frontal (imagery, nonverbal
Problems with working memory
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
Anxiety and working memory
More anxiety, less working memory.
