Memory Flashcards
What is memory?
An active information processing system that receives, stores, organises and recovers information. (internal record of a previous event or experience)
What is duration?
How long a memory lasts
What does encoding mean?
How the memory is stored (audio, visual)
Who theorised the multistore model of memory?
Atkinson & Shiffrin
What does the multistore model of memory suggest?
That information must go through sensation into our attention and perception (short term memory) then into our long term memory
Draw a graph describing the multistore model of memory?
Describe the sensory register/memory, its capacity, duration and encoding. (multistore model of memory)
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
Describe the short term memory, its capacity, duration and encoding. (multistore model of memory)
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
Describe the long term memory, its capacity, duration and encoding. (multistore model of memory)
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
What are the 2 types of long term memory (and 2 sub types) in the multistore model of memory?
- Procedural Memory
- Declarative memory
- Episodic memory
- Semantic memory
What is procedural memory? Give an example.
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
What is declaritive memory?
Facts you can state, they require conscious effort for retrieval
Explain the 2 types of declarative memory.
- 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
State 2 strengths of the multistore model of memory.
- Empirically backed with many reliable studies to also back it up
- Concisely explains the encoding and storage of information
State 2 limitations of the multistore model of memory.
- 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
Who theorised the working model of memory?
Baddeley & Hitch
What are the characteristics of the working model of memory?
- 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
Draw a diagram of the working model of memory
What are the 5 components of the working model of memory?
- Central executive
- Visuo-spacial sketchpad
- Phonological loop
- Episodic buffer
- Long term memory
What is the visuo-spacial sketchpad?
Temporary store for visual and spacial information
What is the phonological loop?
Temporary store for auditory information
What is the central executive?
- Coordinates the visuospatial sketchpad and phonological loop and is responsible for organising info
- Directs attention to relevant info while suppressing irrelevant info
What is the episodic buffer?
Receives info from LTM, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad to be integrated, manipulated and made available for conscious awareness
What are 2 strengths of the working model of memory?
- 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