Memory

Question 1

What is memory?

Answer 1

Memory describes the process by which we encode, store and retrieve information over time. Through memory, we can remember and recall our past experiences and use this information in the present.

Question 2

Encoding

Answer 2

Putting information into a code using the 5 senses; auditory, visual, etc

Question 3

Storage

Answer 3

Coding information into format leads to successful coding

Question 4

Retrieval

Answer 4

Process of recognition, recall and reconstruction

Vital we are able to draw on our past experiences to use this information in the present

Question 5

Trace Decay (Forgetting)

Answer 5

Trace decays over time

Evidence; STM - Peterson and Peterson (1959) Trace Decay curve for 3-18 seconds if rehearsal is prevented

LTM - Bahrick et al (1972) year book study showed recall delay with time

Question 6

Interference (Forgetting)

Answer 6

Proactive - New info disrupted by old info

Retroactive - Old info is disrupted by new info

LTM; Baddeley & Hitch (1977) the rugby player study - season players remembered the early matches better than season completers despite same time gap (retroactive)

Question 7

Cue-dependency (Forgetting)

Answer 7

Cues around a memory are important

Feelings/ state of mind help to recall better

Godden and Baddeley (1975) divers study shows the importance of context on memory

Question 8

Brain Damage (Forgetting)

Answer 8

Disrupts either the encoding, storage or retrieval of memories

Question 9

HM (Scoville and Milner, 1957)

Answer 9

Damage to his hippocampus due to surgery, could not encode new LTM’s

Question 10

WMM - KF (Shallice and Warrington, 1969)

Answer 10

Cognitive approach to case study

Man involved in a motorcycle accident suffering a brain injury as a result

Aim: To examine KF’s ability’s - STM

Procedure: Using performance repetition tasks they examined his ability to repeat information

Findings: He could only remember 1 item consistently whereas average person can do 7.

He had selective damage to his verbal STM, visual STM and LTM remained intact

Question 11

CW (Wilson and Wearing, 1995)

Answer 11

Still played piano (procedural memory) but couldn’t remember his life

Disease of syphilis

Question 12

WMM - Baddeley (1975) Word Length Effect

Answer 12

Aim: To prove immediate memory span is better with shorter words

Procedure: Participants performed two visual tasks, were faced with an interference task in their attempts to rehearse the words given.

Findings: Participants were able to remember single syllable words better than multi syllable due to the time/ length. Existence of PL 20-30 secs. Distinction between it and VSS.

Question 13

WMM - Phonological Loop👂🏼

Answer 13

Responsible for the processing of auditory coded information and is thus a primarily acoustic/ phonological store

It uses the inner ear to input information and has a 2 second holding capacity for words most recently heard

The articulatory process begins through the inner voice which can hold info through sub-vocal repetition

Question 14

WMM - Visuo-spatial sketchpad 👁️

Answer 14

Processes visual and spatially coded information

Referred to as the inner eye

Consists of a visual cache; passive store of form and colour and an inner scribe; holding relation between items in 3D space

Question 15

WMM - Central Executive

Answer 15

Head of the model

Oversees the function of attention

Capacity = Limited, 4 items working on 1 at a time

Can switch attention through different outputs

Question 16

WMM - Episodic Buffer

Answer 16

Added in 2000 after criticism to the model - as it needed a place for the holding and integration of information before it was successfully coded into LTM

Question 17

MSM - Sensory Register

Answer 17

The SR is the first point where information enters from the five senses; smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight

Capacity = Very large

Duration = Milliseconds, if info is not attended to it will be lost through decay, if info is attended to it will be passed to the STM

Question 18

MSM - Short-term

Answer 18

Encoding = Primarily acoustic store

Capacity = +7/-2 (Miller’s law)

Duration = 3-18 seconds, maximum of 30. Can be extended through chunking - putting info into larger sets freeing up more space

Question 19

MSM - Long-term

Answer 19

Encoding = Primarily semantic store (meaning)

Capacity = Vast but never full

Duration = Life-long/ Long-term

Question 20

MSM - Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) Serial Position Effect

Answer 20

Aim: Sought to explain the effects of word positioning on memory

Procedure: They assigned participants into one of two groups; immediate or delayed recall. Asked to remember a list of 12 words.

Findings: Suggest there is a primacy and recency effect as immediate recall group remembered the words at the start and end of the list better and the delayed group exhibited a primacy but no recency effect.

Supports MSM as the words at the start had entered LTM through rehearsal, words at the end were still in STM with all other words lost.

Question 21

MSM - Peterson and Peterson (1959) Trigram Experiment

Answer 21

Aim: Sought to investigate duration of STM

Procedure: Examined participants performance on remembering nonsense syllables.

Findings: Indicate that the longer a participant had between seeing the trigram and completing the interference task the less accurately they could recall the trigram.

This supports MSM as it agrees the STM has a duration of up to 18 seconds.

Question 22

Similarities between MSM and WMM

Answer 22

1. Both scientific and vast amounts of research has been conducted which provides evidence for the assumptions they make
2. Subject to criticism due to lack of info as MSM provides little on STM and WMM on the function of PL and VSS

Question 23

Differences between MSM and WMM

Answer 23

1. MSM deems STM as overly simplistic whereas WMM explores STM’s functionality - disagreeing with MSM
2. MSM provides comprehensive explanation of entire memory store whereas WMM focuses on STM

Question 24

MSM - Process from SR to STM to LTM

Answer 24

SR = Info enters here, if attended to will be passed to STM

STM = Through maintenance rehearsal, information is processed verbally and mentally and aids the extension of duration. Continual rehearsal then ensures it’s place in LTM

LTM = Information is passed from STM to LTM through rehearsal where it can later be drawn upon to the STM to use it when necessary. Elaborative rehearsal is useful for encoding as it links new information with info already in LTM store