Memory Flashcards
Define memory
The process of how retain information from past events
What is Chunking?
Grouping digits or letters into smaller chunks to improve recall
What is the capacity, duration, and encoding of the Short Term Memory?
Capacity: 5-9 chunks
Duration: Up to 30 seconds
Encoded: Acoustically
What is the capacity, duration and encoding of the Long Term Memory?
Capacity: Potentially lifetime
Duration: Limitless
Encoded: Semantically, based on meaning
What is the order of the Multi store model?
-Incoming sensory info
-Into sensory register
-No attention, forget
-Attention, STM
-Short Term memory
-Not rehearsed, forget
-Prolonged rehearsal, LTM
-Long Term memory
-Some lost over time
-Retrieved, STM
-Maintenance rehearsal
Give the features of the sensory register
Coding: Iconic store- visual info
Echoic store- acoustic info
Capacity: Very high, one hundred million cells in each eye storing info
Duration: Less than half a second
What is maintenance rehearsal?
When we repeat info to ourselves, keeping it in the STM, but if rehearsed for long enough it will move to the LTM.
What is displacement in terms of the STM?
When STM is at full capacity, a piece of info is shunted out to make room for the new info.
Evaluate the multi store model
+Supporting studies: Baddely found we mix up words that sound and mean the same, acknowledges we have separate memory stores.
-Too simplistic: evidence of more than one STM, study in amnesia patient showed differences in recall using acoustic or semantic.
What is Baddely’s research in to coding in STM and LTM? and evaluate
Had 4 groups:
A: acoustically similar
B: acoustically dissimilar
C: semantically similar
D: semantically dissimilar
A+B recalled immediately and did worse in A- encodes acoustically
C+D recalled after 20 mins and did worse on C- encodes semantically
+Identified separate memory stores
-Artificial task, not meaningful material
There were 2 studies into the capacity of STM: Jacob and then Miller, outline them both and evaluate
Jacobs read out digits and asked p’s to recall them. Read out 4, if correct then 5 and so on. Mean for letters: 7.3 and numbers: 9.3
Miller stated things come in 7s, e.g days of week, so that must be how much we can remember (7+-2), we chunk things.
-(Jacobs) lack of standardisation and appreciation of scientific methods: historical research is not as reliable due to confounding variables.
-Over estimated capacity, other research suggests the chunks are 4+-1
Outline and evaluate Peterson’s study into STM duration
-24 students, 8 trials
-Given a consonant syllable and a 3 digit number to remember.
-Asked to count back from this number until told to stop (prevents rehearsal)
-Either after 3-9 secs or 12-18 secs
-Recall the letter
80% could recall in 3-9 secs
3% could 12-18 secs therefore STM duration is 18secs
- Meaningless stimuli, an artificial task, low mundane realism and ecological validity
Outline and evaluate Bahrick et als research into duration of LTM
-392 American p’s aged 17-74
-Used high school year books for photo recognition and name recall tasks of 50 people
Recognition: 15yrs after grad, 90%
48yrs after grad, 70%
Name recall: 15yrs, 60%
48yrs, 30%
+ High external validity, meaningful stimuli and high mundane realism, easily generalised to real life.
Who suggested there were 3 different types of LTM?
Tulving
What are the 3 types of LTM and what are they?
(PES)
Procedural- concerned with learned motor skills
Episodic- personal memories, such as associations of a particular place or time
Semantic- concerns facts taken independent of context
What is declarative/explicit memory and give an example of the type?
Requires conscious recall e.g episodic and semantic
What is non-declarative/implicit and give an example of the type?
Classically conditioned memory, doesn’t require conscious thought e.g procedural
What are the 2 types of episodic memory?
Autobiographical- particular life events
Flashbulb- vivid and detailed recollections
What evidence is there that supports the separate LTM types?
Research from patients with Amnesia e.g patient HM
-Are able to remember semantic and episodic memories from before getting amnesia, yet cannot remember new ones. However their procedural memory is not effected at all e.g playing piano
-Shows there is separation between the types
Evaluate the 3 types of LTM
+Support from case studies: patients with brain damage have severely impaired episodic, but semantic is fine.
+Real world application
-Conflicting research linking types of LTM to areas of the brain
Suggests different types are on opposites sides of the brain, yet other research suggests episodic encoding is on the left, and the right is for episodic retrieval.