memory Flashcards
what is duration of memory
the length of time info can be stored in memory.
what is capacity of memory
the amount of info that can be stored
what is coding of memory
process by which the sensory info is modified and stored in the brain eg visual acoustic and semantic
the diff types of stores
sensory
short term memory
long term memory
sensory memory - def. , capacity, duration and coding
initial contact for stimuli
very large capacity
less than one sec
modality specific (encoded in the same way it is received)
STM - def. capacity duration and coding
the info we are currently aware of or thinking about
limited capacity (7 +/- 2 items)
about 18-30 sec unless rehearsed
acoustically (auditory)
LTM - def. capacity duration and coding
continual storage of info which is largely outside of our awareness
potentially unlimited capacity
potentially infinite duration
semantically (meaning)
how is STM often assessed
digit span task
what did jacobs research in 1887 find on capacity
found the average span for numbers is 9.3 items
letters decreases to 7.3 items
what did millers research in 1956 find on capacity
concluded that the magic number is 7+/-2 items
found people could recall 7 dots 7 letters 7 musical notes
what did miller suggest about chunking
that remembering info can be increased if we chunk items together - if we find links between things and group them together then we will remember more.
limitation of millers research
he may have overestimated the capacity of the STM
cowan(2001) concluded that the capacity of STM is closer to 4 chunks
this is closer to the lower end of millers estimate of 5 and suggest that this may be a more appropriate (magic number’ than 7
however as memory can be affected by individual differences it may be that it is difficult to dream universal conclusions in this area of research.
