Memory

Question 1

Baddeley (1966) Coding in STM and LTM

Answer 1

Acoustically similar words (e.g. cat, cab) or dissimilar (e.g pit, few)

Semantically similar words (e.g. large, big) or dissimilar (e.g good, hot)

Question 2

Baddeley (1966) Finding + conclusion

Answer 2

Immediate recall worse w acoustically similar words, STM is acoustic

Recall after 20 minutes worse w semantically similar words, LTM is semantic

Question 3

Jacobs (1887) Capacitu of STM

Answer 3

Digit span: Researcher reads four digits and increases until the ptp cannot recall the order correctly

Question 4

Jacobs (1887) findings + conclusion

Answer 4

On avg, ptp could repeat back 9.3 numbers and 7.3 letters in correct order immediately after they were presented

Question 5

Miller (1956) Capacity of STM

Answer 5

Made observations of everyday practice

EX: noted that things come in sevens: 7 notes on musical scale, 7 days of the week, 7 deadly sins, etc

Question 6

Miller (1956) findings and conclusion

Answer 6

The span of STM is about 7 items (plus or minus 2) but can be improved by chunking- grouping sets of digits/ letters into meaningful units

Question 7

Peterson and Peterson (1959) Duration of STM

Answer 7

24 students were given a consonant syllable (e.g. YCG) to remember and a 3-digit number to count backwards for 3, 6, 9, 12, or 18 seconds

Question 8

Peterson and Peterson (1959) findings and conclusion

Answer 8

Students recalled (avg) 80% of the syllables correctly w a 3-second interval

Avg recall after 18 seconds fell to about 3%- suggests that duration of STM w/o rehearsal is about 18-30 seconds

Question 9

Bahrick et al. (1975) Duration of LTM

Answer 9

Ptp were 392 Americans aged 17-74

1. Recognition test: 50 photos from ptp high school yearbook
2. Free recall test: ptp listed names of their graduating class

Question 10

Bahrick et all. (1975) findings and conclusion

Answer 10

Ptp tested 48 years after graduation were about 70% accurate in photo recognition

Free recall was less accurate

Question 11

A limitation of Baddeley’s study (meaningful information)

Answer 11

Words had no personal meaning to ptp

When processing more meaningful info, semantic may be used even for STM tasks

-limited application

Question 12

A limitation of Jacobs’ study (time)

Answer 12

Early research lacked control of EVs

EX: some may have been distracted

-lacks validity BUT has other research to support

Question 13

A limitation of Miller’s study (overestimate)

Answer 13

Research was reviewed

Concluded that capacity of STM was only 4 chunks

-lower end of Miller is more accurate

Question 14

A limitation of Peterson’s study (artificial stimulus)

Answer 14

Memorising consonant syllables doesn’t reflect real life memory usage where we remember meaningful things

Lacks external validity

-not completely irrelevant bc sometimes remember meaningless things e.g. phone numbers

Question 15

A straight of Barhrick et al.’s study (external validity)

Answer 15

Real meaningful memories (e.g. names + faces)

When lab studies used meaningless pictures, recall was lower

-CVs of real-life studies not controlled, ptp may haves looked at yearbook over the years

Question 16

What is Atkinson and Shiffrin’s (1968) Multi-store memory mode?

Answer 16

A model describing how information flows from 3 stores (sensory register, STM and LTM), linked by processing

Question 17

Describe the sensory register using duration, capacity and coding

Answer 17

Stimulus passes into SR. 1 store for each sense.

Duration: very brief- less than 1/2 second
Capacity: high- e.g. over 100 milion in 1 eye
Coding: depends on the sense

Question 18

Describe the data transfer from SR to LTM

Answer 18

Little of what goes into SR passes further- needs attention paid to it

Question 19

Describe short-term memory

Answer 19

A limited capacity and duration store

Duration: 18-30 seconds unless rehearsed
Capacity: 7 +/- 2
Coding: acoustic

Question 20

Describe the transfer from STM and LTM

Answer 20

Maintenance rehearsal occurs when we repeat to ourselves. We can keep info in STM as long as we rehearse

If rehearsed enough, passes into LTM

Question 21

Describe LTM

Answer 21

A permanent memory store.

When we recall from from LTM, ‘retrieval’ is used

Duration: potentially lifetime
Capacity: potentially unlimited
Coding: tends to be semantic

Question 22

Strengths of the MSM

Answer 22

Research support: Baddeley found we mix words that sound similar when using STM but mix sounds that mean similar when using LTM- shows independent stores

Question 23

Limitations of the MSM

Answer 23

• Evidence suggests theres more than 1 type of LTM: Amnesiac (KF) recalled better when reading digits to himself
• Only explains 1 type of rehearsal: Craig and Watkins argued theres 2 types- maintenance (from MSM) and elaborative
• Research support uses artificial materials: asked ptp to recall digits, letters + words
• Oversimplifies LTM: there is a lot of evidence that LTM is not a unitary store

Question 24

Episodic memory (LTM store)

Answer 24

Stores events, like a daily diary

• time-stamped
• involve people, places, etc
• require conscious effort to remember

Question 25

Semantic memory (LTM store)

Answer 25

Combination of an encyclopaedia and dictionary; knowledge and meanings

-not time-stamped

Question 26

Procedural memory (LTM store)

Answer 26

Stores memories for actions and skills

-recall w/o effort

Question 27

Strengths of episodic memory

Answer 27

+Case study evidence: Amnesiacs (HM + Clive Wearing) had difficulty recalling events that happened in their pasts but not semantic memories