Memory Flashcards
encoding
processing information into a form so that it can be held in your brain
storing
the information is kept in your brain for a period of time
retrieving
information is located and brought back out of your brain
episodic memory
memory of events (conscious)
semantic memory
memory of meaning (conscious)
procedural memory
memory of skills (unconscious)
evaluation for Tulvings theory
Strength: brain scans have shown separate locations activate for the three kinds of memory
- episodic is related to the right prefrontal area
- semantic is related to the left prefrontal area
- procedural is related to the motor area
Strength: Clive wearing, loss episodic, but kept semantic and procedural. He remembers he has a loving wife, but forgets she was with him shortly after she leaves the room.
Weakness: memory is not as simple as tulving proposed. Typically a long-term memory is a mixture of semantic, episodic and procedural. E.g. remembering to tie your shoelaces because you tripped over last week is a combination of all the mmeory types.
Give the capacity, duration and encoding type for SM, STM, LTM
SM - capacity: all sensory information, duration: 1/4 to 1/2 a second, encoding: sense specific
STM - capacity: 7+_ chunks, duration: 15-30 seconds, encoding: mainly auditory
LTM - capacity: unlimited, duration: unlimited (from minutes to a lifetime), encoding: mainly semantic
Describe the multi-store model of memory
The MSM is a theoretical framework of how the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information. It is based on the fact that we have 3 memory stores; sensory memory, short term memory, long term memory. Environmental stimuli enters the sensory memory store continuously, however if attention isn’t placed on it, it can decay with 1/4 to 1/2 a second. Though, when attention is applied, the information goes into the short-term memory store, where it’ll stay there for 15-30 seconds. Then it’ll either decay or stay there for another 30 seconds if repeat the information continuously - maintenance rehearsal. However, if you do elaborative rehearsal on the STM, then it’ll be converted into the long term memory. Elaborative rehearsal is when you connect the new information with some old information in a meaningful way.
Evaluate the multi-store model of memory
Strength: supporting evidence from baddeleys study
Weakness: oversimplified, evidence suggests there are multiple short and long-term memory stores (episodic, procedural, semantic)
Strength: Usefulness, was a pioneering model of memory that inspired further research and other influential models.
Weakness; low ecological validity, some stimuli ppt were asked to remember bear little ressemblence to items learnt in real life, such as XQF to investigate STM duration (peterson 1959)
Primacy effect
tendency to recall 5 or so words from the beginning of a list
recency effect
tendency to recall 5 or so words from the end of a list
serial postion curve
position of word correlates to its likelihood of being remembered
Murdocks serial position study AIM
To investigate whether there are seperate short term and long term memory stores OR to see if the likelihood of recalling a word depends on its position in a list.
Murdocks serial position study PROCEDURE
Participants heard lists of words. The word list had between 10-40 words on them. The participants were asked to recall as many as possible.
Murdocks serial position study RESULTS
Participants recalled more words from the start of the list (primacy effect) and the end of the list (recency effect) than those in the middle of the list/
Memory after effort
the persistant effort to put unfamiliar ideas into more familiar terms in an attempt to comprehend ambigious or unfamiliar material
Murdocks serial position study CONCLUSION
- Words at the end of a list were recalled best because they were still in the short term memory.
- The ones at the start of the list were recalled well as they had been transferred to the long term memory.
- These results indicate the likelihood of recalling a word depends on its position in a list.
Murdocks serial position study WEAKNESSES
Lack validity. Ppt were asked to listen to word lists. People don’t usually do this. May not be how serial position affects memory recall in everyday memory.
Lab setting. May have increased the artificiality of the performance of the ppts. Means its difficult to generalise the findings to predict the effects of serial position in a more normal setting.
Limited sample of ppt. All psych students and may of been of similiar age. Difficult to gen the findings to predict the effects of serial position to people of different ages or who have no studied psychology.
Describe Bartletts war of the ghost study
Bartlett wanted to investigate how memory was reconstructed when asked to repeat a story over a course of weeks and months. He used a technique called serial reproduction. He showed a participant ‘The war of the ghosts’ on the left, then asked the participant to recall it 15 minutes later. Then, he got this new version to show to the next participant to recall shortly after as well. This process repeated with further participants. An important note to this study is that the culture of the story was much different to the culture of the participants (story was native american, particpants were british). He found that the story became shortened by osmissions and that certain words and phrases were adapted to match the culture of the speaker (e.g. boats instead of canoes). Also the story soon became fixed, with only slight variations each time. He concluded that all these adaptions were in order to make the amterial easier to remember. We don’t remember details, we merely remember fragments, but we use our knowledge of social situations to fill in the gaps.
Evaluate Bartletts war of the ghost
Weakness: the story was unusual
Weakness: no set standards, participants weren’t asked to recal accurately, just to recall
Weakness: results were biased, bartlett could’ve seen any error and concluded it was due to the change in culture.
effort after meaning
the persistant effort to put unfamiliar ideas into more familiar terms in attempt to comprehend ambiguous or unfamiliar material
reconstructed memory
reconstruction meanns that our memories are not exact copies but are influenced by our prior knowledge and our expectations known as schemas
schema
a packet of knowledge about an event, person, or place that influences how we percieve and remember
1. personal experience
2. stereotypes
3. cultures
interference
forgetting may occur if two memories compete with each other.
proactive interference
unable to recall new informatiion as old memories interfere with the new memories being formed
retroactive interference
unable to recall old information as new memories interfere with old memories being formed.
Describe
Baddeley and Godden study on context
Baddeley wanted to investigate how context affected the accuracy of memory recall. He got 36 people from a diving club to participant in, and divided them into four groups. Group 1 learned the words on the beach and recalled the words on the beach (dry, dry). Group 2 learned the words underwater and recalled them on the beach (wet dry). Group 3 learned the words on the beach and recalled them underwater (dry, wet). Group 4 learned the words underwater and recalled the words underwater (wet, wet). So in group 1 and 4, the context acted as a cue as the environments were matched. whereas, group 2 and 3, the context didn’t act as a cue. Baddeley found out that group 1 had the highest number of words recalled. 2nd was group 4, third was group 3 and last was group 2. In conclusion, the context of learning acts as a trigger or cue when trying to remember that information.
Evaluate Baddely and Goddens study
Weakness: not generalisable, sample size too small
Weakness: recalling word lists is not a natural way to investigate something.
Weakness: the recall was short term, the participants had tor recall the words almost immediately. Short-term recall tells us about a specific set of circumstances its not applicable.
Weakness: effect only applies to certain situations. Typically in exams, the context at the time of learning is quite different to the context of the time of recall. Doesn’t reflect the accuracy of recalls in many situations
Describe Loftus and Pickrells study on false memories
Loftus wanted to investigate if flase memories could be created in participants through suggestion. The study included 24 participants ranging from 18 to 53, a relative was also included. The participants were given four short stories by their relatives relating to childhood events; three was true one was false. The false one consisted of them getting lost in a shopping mall in their childhood and being rescued by an elderly woman. The false story was adapted by the relative to promote realism (e.g. childs favourite book store, who went with them in shopping trips etc.). Each participant were asked to write down what they had remembered of the event. Then, a wekk or two later each participant was interviewed about the stories and were asked to recall as much as they could from them. They were also interviewed a second time, when they were debriefed and told to pick out the false memory. Out of 72 true episodes only 68% were remembered. 25% of the participants recalled the false memory fully or partially. One thought she recalled it but later changed her mind. And the others had no memory of this false event. 19/24 participants correctly chose them being lost in the mall as fake. In conclusion, the mere act of imagining an event has the potential of creating and implanting a false memory in a person. Showing how false memories are examples of reduced accuracy in memory based on the idea of reconstructed memory.
Evaluate Loftus and Pickrells study regarding false memory
Weakness: unethical due to false memories having a chance to be implanted in their heads.
Weakness: is not the same tramautic kind of event that could be recovered by a therapist. harmless events like this can be implanted quite easily, but this isn’t true for something more traumatic and memorable. conclusions drawn by this is limited
Strength: real world application. has important implications for eyewitness testimonies. the testimonies cannot be regarded as reliable evidence.
Weakness: small sample size
weakness of reconstructed memory
Doesn’t explain why some memories are remembered accurately while others are reconstructed.
Typically, personal and unambigious memories are less likely to be reconstructed.
