Memory Flashcards
Coding
The format a memory is stored in (visually, acoustically or semantically)
Capacity
How much information can be stored
Duration
How long the information can be stored for
Multi-Store Model
Sensory register to short term memory to long term memory. Linear system.
Sensory Register
The automatic response to sensory information
Short Term Memory
Temporary store of information currently being thought about
Long Term Memory
Information stored for a long period of time, anything stored for more than 30 seconds
Coding Of Sensory Register
Stored the same way it is experienced - As a touch, taste, smell etc.
Capacity Of Sensory Register
Very large
Duration Of Sensory Register
Varies depending on the sense being experienced
Coding Of Short Term Memory
Acoustically (as sounds). This means similar sounding words may be confused.
Duration Of Short Term Memory
Max 30 seconds
Capacity Of Short Term Memory
7 plus/minus 2 (so between 5 and 9 things at once). Can be improved through information chunking (such as phone numbers being split into sections)
Coding Of Long Term Memory
Semantically (through associations). This means words with similar meanings may be confused.
Duration Of Long Term Memory
Can last a lifetime
Capacity Of Long Term Memory
Unlimited
Supporting Evidence For Multi Store Model
Clive Wearing. Brain damage patient. STM was damaged so Clive lost his LTM, supporting that memory is linear.
Contradicting Evidence For Multi Store Model
Patient KF. Brain damage patient. STM was damaged but LTM was intact, contradicting that memory is linear
Working Memory Model
Several sections of memory holding information. Including the central executive, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer and long term memory
Central Excecutive
Monitors incoming data to transfer to the correct slave system. Can only focus on one thing at a time
Phonological Loop
Deals with auditory information. Phonological store can store the words you hear and the articulatory process can keep two second’s worth of speech in a loop to keep information in the working memory
Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
Deals with visual and spatial information. The visual cache stores visual data and the inner scribe records the arrangement of objects. Has a capacity of 3/4 objects
Episodic Buffer
Temporary store for information. Uses information processed in the other slave systems to merge the data into an individual memory to send the LTM
Supporting Evidence For Working Memory Model
Patient KF. Brain damage patient. STM for verbal information (Phonological loop) was damaged but STM for visual information (Visuo-spatial sketchpad) was intact, supporting the idea that one system can be damaged while others remain intact.
Weakness Of The Working Memory Model
The working memory model isn’t fully explained. The idea of a central excecutive is vague despite being a central part of the theory
Interference
When one memory blocks a different memory being stored or causes it to be distorted. The effect is greater if two memories are similar
Proactive Interference
Older memories disrupting newer memories
Retroactive Interference
Newer memories disrupting older memories
Semantic Memory
General world knowledge
Episodic Memory
Contextual information from your own life experiences
Procedural Memory
Our memory of how to perform actions, includes motor skills and cognitive skills
Encoding Specificity Principle
Recall is most effective when the situation in which the memory is being recalled is similar to the situation in which the memory was encoded
Context-Dependant Forgetting
When the environment during recall is different to that during encoding
State-De[endant Forgetting
When your mental or physical state during recall is different to that during encoding
Leading Questions
A question that implies a desired answer, a source of misleading information
Weakness Of Leading Questions
Evidence for the effects of leading questions lacks ecological validity as they were all lab experiments, making it less aplicable to real life situations
Post-Event Discussion
When witnesses to an event discuss an event afterwards, a source of misleading information
Cognitive Interview
A method employed by investigators to help recall, in which the person being interviewed will change the order of the events, change the perspective of the events, be mentally reinstated to the events and report every miniscule detail
Mental Reinstatement
The witness is mentally placed back into the events so the emotions and context cues can assist recall of information
Report Everything
Memories are interconnected, this method works under the assumption that even a seemingly insignificant detail may be a cue for a more important piece of information
Change The Order
Recalling events backwards helps the witness focus on the actual events, removing the influence of schemas
Change The Perspective
Imagining what a person on the other side of the road may have seen could influence which details the witness recalls
