Memory Flashcards

1
Q

What is memory?

A

An active information processing system that receives, stores, organises and recovers information. (internal record of a previous event or experience)

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2
Q

What is duration?

A

How long a memory lasts

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3
Q

What does encoding mean?

A

How the memory is stored (audio, visual)

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4
Q

Who theorised the multistore model of memory?

A

Atkinson & Shiffrin

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5
Q

What does the multistore model of memory suggest?

A

That information must go through sensation into our attention and perception (short term memory) then into our long term memory

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6
Q

Draw a graph describing the multistore model of memory?

A
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7
Q

Describe the sensory register/memory, its capacity, duration and encoding. (multistore model of memory)

A

Short lasting information from the senses, before being processed. Without attending to info from sensory register we will forget it.
- Capacity: Unlimited
- Duration: 0.5 - 4 Seconds
- Encoded: Through senses

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8
Q

Describe the short term memory, its capacity, duration and encoding. (multistore model of memory)

A

Information you are currently paying attention to. Allows us to make sense of our surroundings, once limit is reached new info can only be attended to by displacing existing information.
- Capacity: 5 - 9 chunks
- Encoding: visual and auditory
- Duration: 10 - 30 seconds

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9
Q

Describe the long term memory, its capacity, duration and encoding. (multistore model of memory)

A

The relatively permanent store of info that must be large enough to retain all the info we encounter and remember during our lifetime.
- Capacity: Unlimited
- Encoding: Mostly semantic (meanings) but can be audio or visual
- Duration: Unlimited

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10
Q

What are the 2 types of long term memory (and 2 sub types) in the multistore model of memory?

A
  • Procedural Memory
  • Declarative memory
    - Episodic memory
    - Semantic memory
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11
Q

What is procedural memory? Give an example.

A

The memory of actions and skills that have been learned. They take little time to retrieve and retrieval is virtually automatic.
eg. learning to ride a bike

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12
Q

What is declaritive memory?

A

Facts you can state, they require conscious effort for retrieval

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13
Q

Explain the 2 types of declarative memory.

A
  • Episodic memory:
    Made up of memories of past events and your interpretation of them (like episodes of your life)
  • Semantic memory:
    The meanings behind things, and the knowledge of facts and information based on your understanding
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14
Q

State 2 strengths of the multistore model of memory.

A
  • Empirically backed with many reliable studies to also back it up
  • Concisely explains the encoding and storage of information
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15
Q

State 2 limitations of the multistore model of memory.

A
  • Doesn’t explain situations where rehearsal is not needed for LTM to occur
  • Doesn’t explain why it is easier to remember info of interest over boring info, even with the same amount of rehearsal
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16
Q

Who theorised the working model of memory?

A

Baddeley & Hitch

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17
Q

What are the characteristics of the working model of memory?

A
  • Describes short-term memory in a broader sense (working memory), more complex than just sight and sound
  • Emphasised the active nature of processing memory
  • Hypothetical construct describing how memories are processed
18
Q

Draw a diagram of the working model of memory

A
19
Q

What are the 5 components of the working model of memory?

A
  • Central executive
  • Visuo-spacial sketchpad
  • Phonological loop
  • Episodic buffer
  • Long term memory
20
Q

What is the visuo-spacial sketchpad?

A

Temporary store for visual and spacial information

21
Q

What is the phonological loop?

A

Temporary store for auditory information

22
Q

What is the central executive?

A
  • Coordinates the visuospatial sketchpad and phonological loop and is responsible for organising info
  • Directs attention to relevant info while suppressing irrelevant info
23
Q

What is the episodic buffer?

A

Receives info from LTM, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad to be integrated, manipulated and made available for conscious awareness

24
Q

What are 2 strengths of the working model of memory?

A
  • Suggests that rehearsal is an optional process, more realistic than the multi-store model, as we do not rehearse everything we remember
  • Can explain how we can successfully do two tasks at the same time if the tasks involve different stores, but why we have trouble performing these two tasks
25
Q

What are 2 limitations of the working model of memory?

A
  • The function of the central executive, the most important component, is not well understood, and the idea that there may be a single central executive could be inaccurate.
  • Too rigid and simplistic
26
Q

What role does the hippocampus play in forming memories?

A

Combines perceived stimuli from our experiences and turns them into explicit memories

27
Q

Explain how the hippocampus creates memories

A
  1. During an experience, sensory information from our specialised cortical (temporal, occipital lobes etc.) areas are sent to the hippocampus where they are combined into a neural representation of the experience.
  2. This process sends feedback to the specialised areas which strengthens the connections between the areas, creating a memory representation of the experience.
28
Q

Explain why a random smell can trigger a past memory

A

Memories can then be reconstructed from partial cues (eg. smells) that share features with the original experience, due to the hippocampus combining sensory info when the memory was made

29
Q

What was done to Henry Molaisons brain and why?

A

Had his hippocampus removed to cure sever epileptic seizures

30
Q

What effect did the surgery have on H.M.

A

The seizures were cured, but he was completely unable to make new memories after the surgery but still had access to memories from before the surgery.

31
Q

What role does the amygdala play in creating memories?

A

Processes and integrates emotions feeding info to the hippocampus as memories are formed. Explains why memories with strong emotional responses are more memorable than ones with weak or no emotions.

32
Q

What role does the cerebellum play in making memories?

A

Works with the frontal lobe and motor cortex to encode, process and store procedural memories. Activates the relevant neural systems allowing you to perform a task automatically rather than learning from scratch every time.

33
Q

Give an overview of the levels of processing model of memory

A

How info is encoded impacts how easily it is remembered, some types of info can be remembered easier than others. There are 2 levels at which we encode info, the deeper the processing the more likely retrieval is later on.

34
Q

What are the 2 types of shallow processing?

A
  • Structural encoding
  • Phonemic encoding
35
Q

Explain structural encoding and its percent recall.

A
  • Words learnt by their physical features (shape, how letters are organised)
  • Participants remember 20% of words
36
Q

Explain phonemic encoding and its percent recall.

A
  • Words remembered by how they sound
  • Participants remember 50% of words
37
Q

What are 2 types of deep processing?

A
  • Semantic encoding
  • Elaborated encoding
38
Q

Explain semantic encoding and its percent recall.

A
  • Words remembered by their meaning
  • Participants remember 80% of words
39
Q

Explain elaborated encoding

A

Associating the thing you’re learning with as many senses or memories possible to make it easier to remember

40
Q

What was the aim for the study about the Depth of processing by Craik & Tulving

A

To test the levels of processing theory to find out whether the depth of processing of words impacts participants ability to recall them

41
Q

Briefly discuss the methods for the study about the Depth of processing by Craik & Tulving

A
  • Participants were deceived about the purpose of the study
  • Were presented with 60 yes/no questions about 5-letter words
  • Questions randomly divided into 3 levels of encoding (structural, phonemic and semantic)
  • Participants then given a list of 180 words including the original 60 + 120 distractors and asked to circle as many as they can remember
42
Q

What were the key findings for the study about the Depth of processing by Craik & Tulving

A

Most words remembered were encoded semantically, followed by phonologically, followed by structuraly.