Memory

Question 1

Define memory

Answer 1

The process by which we retain information about events that have happened in the past.

Question 2

Define short term memory

Answer 2

Memory for immediate events

Question 3

Define long term memory

Answer 3

Memory for events that happened in the past

Question 4

Define capacity

Answer 4

How much data can be stored

Question 5

Define Duration

Answer 5

The amount of time the data is stored for

Question 6

Define Coding

Answer 6

How information is stored

Question 7

What is the duration, capacity and coding for short term memory?

Answer 7

Duration: 15-30 seconds
Capacity: 7+-2 chunks
Coding: Acoustic

Question 8

What is the duration, capacity and coding for long term memory?

Answer 8

Duration: Potentially infinite
Capacity: Potentially limitless
Coding: Semantic

Question 9

What are acoustic words?

Answer 9

Words which sound the same

Question 10

What are semantic words?

Answer 10

Words which mean the same

Question 11

Who proposed the Multi Store Memory Model?

Answer 11

Atkinson and Shiffin

Question 12

Who proposed the Serial Position Curve?

Answer 12

Glanzer and Cuntiz

Question 13

Describe what the primary effect shows

Answer 13

It shows that the first few words are regulated and moved to long term memory

Question 14

What does the Recency effect show?

Answer 14

It shows that the last few words are recalled from short term memory

Question 15

What are the types of long term memory?

Answer 15

Episodic Memory
Semantic Memory
Procedural Memory

Question 16

Describe episodic memory

Answer 16

A long term memory store for personal events. It includes memories of when the event occurred and of the people, objects, place and behaviours involved. Memories from this store have to be retrieved consciously and with effort. e.g. the first day of school

Question 17

What are the 3 element of episodic memory?

Answer 17

specific detail of the event, the context and the emotion

Question 18

Describe semantic memory

Answer 18

A long term memory store for our knowledge of the world. This includes facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean. They usually also need to be recalled deliberately. e.g. the capitals of countries.

Question 19

Describe procedural memory

Answer 19

A long term memory store for our knowledge of how to do things. Its an action, muscle or skilled based memory. We usually recall these memories without making a conscious or deliberate attempt. e.g. riding a bike

Question 20

Describe the working memory model

Answer 20

It is a representation of short term memory. It suggests the short term memory is a dynamic processor of different types of information using sub units coordinated by a central decision making system.

Question 21

Define Central Executive.

Answer 21

Co-ordinates the activities of the three subsystems in memory. It also allocates processing resources to those activities.

Question 22

Define the Phonological Loop

Answer 22

The component of the working memory model that processes information in terms of sound. This includes both written and spoken material. Its divided into the phonological store and inner voice

Question 23

Define the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad

Answer 23

The component of the working memory model that processes visual and spatial information into mental space often called our inner eye

Question 24

Define the Episodic Buffer

Answer 24

It brings together material from the other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands. It also provides a bridge between working memory and long term memory.

Question 25

What research demonstrates the capacity of STM?

Answer 25

Miller in 1956 suggested that short term memory contains seven plus or minus two individual items.

Question 26

What research demonstrates the duration of STM?

Answer 26

Peterson and Peterson in 1959 conducted a lab experiment in which 24 participants each had to recall trigrams. To prevent rehearsal participants were asked to count backwards in threes of fours from a specified random number until they saw a red light appear. Participants were asked to recall trigrams after intervals of 3,6,9,12,15 and 18 seconds. He found that the longer the interval delay the less accurately trigrams were recalled.

Question 27

What research demonstrates the duration of LTM?

Answer 27

Bahrick in 1975 found that 90% of the participants were able to correctly match the name and faces 14 years after graduating and 60% of the participants were able to correctly match the names and faces 47 years after graduating.

Question 28

What is the first limitation of the Multi Store Model for Memory?

Answer 28

One limitation of the multi store model for memory is that the model is over simplified in particular when it suggests that both short term and long term memory each operate single, uniform fashion.

This is not the case and it has now become apparent that both short term and long term memory are more complicated than previously thought. For example the working memory model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch showed that short term memory is more than just one simple unitary store and compromises of different components such as the central executive, phonological loop, episodic buffer and visuospatial sketchpad.
In the case of long term memory, it is unlikely that different kinds of knowledge are all stored within a single long term memory. Indeed different types of long term memory have been identified, namely episodic, procedural and semantic.

The multi store model of memory has been criticised for being a passive, one way, linear model and is a reductionist explanation.

Question 29

What is one strength of the Multi Store Model of Memory?

Answer 29

One strength of the MSM is that there is a lot of research in support of the MSM.

There’s a lot of support from case studies of unusual individuals like H.M. H.M was a young man who had brain surgery in 1933 to cure his severe epilepsy. When the hippocampus was damaged, H.M was left unable to make new memories. However, he still had a lot of memories from before his surgery, which suggests he still possessed LTM but could no longer add to it. There’s also support from Clive Wearing. Clive received brain damage to his hippocampus after a viral infection. Clive could still use his STM to remember things for about 20 seconds but then he would forget everything. This supports the MSM as the MSM explains their disabilities as a failure to rehearse information, preventing them from encoding information in LTM.

Research support for this model increases its validity. However, as these are case studies, they are unable to be generalised.

Question 30

What is the second limitation of the Multi Store Model for Memory?

Answer 30

The model is based on lab experiments involving tasks like the Peterson Peterson technique in 1959. These are quite artificial, often involving meaningless trigrams. In real life you use your memory to recall information that is important to you and there are usually consequences if you forget. The experiment into MSM lacks ecological validity and the model doesn’t explain how memory works in real life situations.

Question 31

What is one strength of the Working Memory Model?

Answer 31

One strength of the WMM is that there is lots of research in support of the WMM.

Foe example, the KF case study supports the WMM. KF suffered brain damage from a motorcycle accident that damaged his STM. KF struggled to process verbal information but his visual memory was unaffected.

This supports the WMM as it shows STM is composed of different components. In the KF case study its that the visual information is processed separately from verbal information.

Question 32

What is one limitation of the Working Memory Model?

Answer 32

One limitation of the WMM is that it fails to have a complete explanation for people with disabilities.

Liberman criticises working memory by pointing out that blind people have spatial memory - they can remember where things are and not bump into them even though they have never had any visual information.

Liberman argues that the visuospatial sketchpad should have 2 different components: visual memory and spatial memory.

Thus, the WMM is not generalisable.

Question 33

What is another limitation of the Working Memory Model?

Answer 33

Another limitation of the WMM is that its based on lab experiments.

These experiments include dual tasks. These are quite artificial. In real life you use other senses such as paying attention to body language or lip reading when someone speaks. If the experiment into WMM lacks ecological validity, then the model won’t explain how memory works in real life situations.

This reduces the ecological validity of the WMM and shows that participants may have had demand characteristics. However, this can be seen as increasing the validity due to its standardised and replicable procedures.