LT1 - MSM & LOP Flashcards
What are the 3 characteristics?
Capacity, duration and encoding.
What’s the name of the 3 seperate information stores?
SM - sensory memory
STM - Short Term Memory
LTM - Long Term Memory
Why is rehearsal seen as a key cognitive process?
It keeps information in the STM, and is responsible for transferring it to the LTM.
Name the senses in the sensory memory? And how long they are there for?
Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Up to 2 seconds.
How is the information stored in the sensory memory?
It’s stored in the same format as it is received e.g. What is heard is stored as sound.
What do you have to do to get information from the SM to the STM?
You have to PAY ATTENTION so the information paid attention to is transferred to the STM the rest isn’t registered and therefore lost.
What is the capacity and duration of the STM?
Capacity of 5 - 9 (7+/-2) items and duration of 20 seconds
What happens if information is not rehearsed?
It’s lost… >
What happens if information is rehearsed in the STM?
Information remains in the STM long enough to be transferred to the LTM.
What is the capacity and duration of the long term memory?
Infinity
What is the supporting research of MSM? What does it suggest?
Clive Wearing case study. It provides evidence for the distinction between STM & LTM as it showed that an area of the brain (hippocampus), if damaged prevents new LT memories from being formed.
How does the MSM contribute to society?
The MSM helps us to understand the way that information is processed, like in the retrieval of information from LTM & STM. We can use the knowledge to help students do well in exams by encouraging revision before exam. E.g. Revision strategy eye-witness testimony.
*What is another supporting research other than Clive Wearing?
Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) found evidence of separate STM and LTM stores through their research into the primacy recency effect suggesting that there are separate memory stores.
What is the opposing research of the MSM?
KF (Shallice & Warrington 1970) case study showed a victim of a motorbike accident, was able to new LT memories even after his STM was damaged.
This suggests that the MSM is incorrect as the STM is not needed to create new LT memories.
The MSM is oversimplified. Explain why?
The MSM does not describe the complexity of our memories as it does not take into account the evidence that suggests there are different types of LT memories.
* the LTM is thought to be more than single store that can include different types of encoding including semantic and procedural (how to do things). The MSM also doesn’t take into account that durable memories are due to deep processing rather than rehearsal of information.
- How does the experimental support lack ecological validity?
Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) study was conducted using words in stimulus lists that may affect the memory. Lab research may give an unnatural view of memory so the results cannot be generalised to real life situations e.g. Exam studying.
What did Craik and Lockhart argue the LOP explains?
It explains the transfer of information into the LTM without rehearsal. The theory states memories are a CONSEQUENCE of how we process information. The deeper we process it; the easier it will be remembered.
What are the 3 levels of processing?
Structural, phonetic and semantic.
What does structural mean?
What something looks like e.g. Is it in capitals or visual.
What does phonetic mean?
Acoustic or what something sounds like e.g. Does it rhyme with cat?
What does Semantic mean?
What something means e.g. Does this word fit into the following sentence.
What is the shallowest level of processing?
Structural because it’s not very durable.
What is the deepest type of processing?
Semantic (analysis) because it’s more durable.
What does elaborating rehearsal do?
Processes deeply and produces a longer lasting memory traces.
What is maintenance rehearsal?
It simply retains items for short period of time but creates no memory trace. It is used by shallow processing.
What is the supporting research for levels of processing?
Craik & Tulving (1975) had a lab experiment that found that semantically processed words were more deeply processed and therefore better recalled than other shallow information.
* 80% of semantically processed words were recalled compared to 18% of words structurally processed therefore highlighting deep processing does lead to more durable memory.
How does LOP contribute to society?
Students can be taught to make notes that have meaning. e.g. Mind maps rather than just reading the information that makes no sense to them. This should help them in exams
A disadvantage of LOP is that it has opposing evidence from Eysenk and Eysnek (1980) what does it suggest?
Shallow processing can lead to durable memory of material is distinctive it creates a strong mental image.
What is another opposing evidence of LOP other than Eysenk&Eysenk?
Morris et al (1977) found that pps recalled more words that were phonetically processed than semantically. This is direct evidence against LOP.
* Morris believed if pps were given a list of words to remember, phonetic processing is more likely to be used, because the nature of the task determines the depth of processing used, rather than depth determining durability directly.
What is the oversimplification of the LOP as it is seen as a reductionist?
Craik & Lockhart pointed out that they could not accurately define what was meant by ‘deep’ processing.
- They couldn’t conclude whether it is the time taken to process information, the effort used in processing of the adding of meaning that leads to improved recall.
- LOP theory also doesn’t take into consideration the idea that we may have seperate memory stores such as ST & LT.
Like the MSM the LOP lacks ecological validity, why?
Craik & Tulvings (1975) study was conducted in an artificial lab environment, involving unnatural equipment & word lists not relevant in generalised to real-life situations such as preparing for exams.
