LT2; Displacement & Cue-dependent Flashcards
Displacement is an availability theory. True or False?
True. It believes memories are forgotten because they have been permanently lost from our memory stores.
* the theory of displacement focuses on the rehearsal loop process which takes place in the STM.
As the STM has a limited capacity (5-9 items) why is it possible that forgetting could occur before information has been sufficiently rehearsed.
When the STM is ‘full’ of information (reaches capacity) no more information can be stored there.
when new information enters the STM and the STM is full what happens to information that was there before?
It is displaced by the new information. when information is displaced by new information it is forgotten permanently from the STM,
What is the supporting theoretical evidence of Displacement?
The theory fits well with the MSM because it suggests a rehearsal loop of information before being stored in the LTM. if there is a rehearsal loop with limited capacity it makes sense to say new information displaces old information before it has been rehearsed.
How does the theory of displacement contribute to society?
if we understand how information is lost, such as in the transfer from STM to LTM we can help people suffering from memory loss (patients with amnesia) and teach them rehearsal loop memory techniques to ensure the transfer of memories into the LTM.
What is a supporting evidence of Displacement?
Waugh and Norman (1965) using the serial probe technique demonstrated how rapidly presented digits were displaced by others that followed. this supports the theory since digits nearer the end of the sequence have less chance of being displaced.
Why is Waugh and Normans supporting evidence reliable?
research is carried out by the use of experiments that are well controlled and show cause and effect relationships.
* The experiments are replicable and can be tested for reliability, making them scientific.
The theory of Displacement is oversimplified?
displacement only explains forgetting from the STM and does not look at forgetting from the LTM, meaning it is not a complete explanation of forgetting.
What are the alternative explanations of Displacement?
displacement explains forgetting in terms f capacity and does not take into consideration other explanations, such as the interference of old information with new information.
* It is unclear whether new information is overwritten or distracting attention away from the older material in the memory store.
how does the displacement theory lack ecological validity?
Research has been carried out in an artificial, lab setting using artificial tasks such as lists of letters, which are no relevant to real life forgetting.
What problem does the Cue-dependant theory have?
Accessibility, the theory believes that our memories are still available to us, but the problem is accessibility (we cant access them).
- what are the two events necessary for memory recall?
A memory trace (information is laid down and retained in a store after the original perception of an event) and a retrieval trace (information present in the individuals cognitive environment at the time of retrieval that matches the environment at the time of recall).
what is a cue?
these are pieces of information that guide us to the information we are seeking, like the contents page of a book. these memory cues may be necessary to recall information that may have available in our memories but information we are unable to access.
what are the Two cues in the cue-dependent theory?
Context cues - these are environment cues e.g. classroom.
State cues - these are internal (emotions) to the person such as being excited or afraid.
What is the supporting evidence of the Cue-dependency theory?
Godden and Baddeley (1975) found hat pps recalled 50% fewer words when recalling them in a different environment from where they were encoded, demonstrating that forgetting is influenced by the lack of retrieval cues present.
