memory Flashcards
outline and evaluate the multi store model of memory AO1
linear model
all stores separate and unitary
sensory register: memory store that holds incoming sensory info for short periods of time. capacity= very large, duration= milliseconds, encoding= multimodal
stm: memory for events in present/ immediate past capacity=7+/-2, duration=18-30 seconds, encoding= acoustic
ltm: memory for events that happened in the near distant past. capacity=potentially unlimited, duration=potentially unlimited, encoding=semantic
attention- selecively concentrating on one aspect of the environment
rehearsal- repetition of info
retrieval- getting info from ltm and passing back to stm so it is available
Outline and evaluate the multistore model of memory AO3 (2 stregnths 2 limitations)
(+) serial position effect:
ppts had to free recall list of 30 words. results= ppts more likely to remember words at top of list (primacy effect) and at bottom of list (recency effect) but words in middle displaced. Shows stores are unitary and separate and supports processes involved (rehearsal)
(+) brain damaged case studies
HM, Clive Wearing all brain damage in either STM or LTM. all case studies show that one store can be damaged and the other can remain intact. supports that the stores are separate.
(-) KF case study:
brain damage limited to STM but when studied in depth found that only his verbal st processing was damaged but his visual st processing was intact. criticises validity as questions whether store is unitary and if model its too simplistic.
(-) flashbulb memory:
some memories can be stored in the ltm without rehearsal e.g traumatic memories. questions need for rehearsal and whether other processes involved.
outline and evaluate the working memory model AO1
model of stm
stm made of components that specialise in diff tasks
stm uses 2 diff stores for dealing with verbal and visual info so both can be carried out at same time but two verbal/ two visual tasks are more dificult to carry out simultaneously
Baddley and Hitch
1) central executive: directs attention to particular tasks and directs info to the diff slave stores- coding-modality free, capacity- N/A
2) episodic buffer: acts as backup store, communicates with ltm and other slave stores- coding- modality free, capacity- limited (4 chunks)
3) Phonological loop: auditory info. Inner ear- speech based info held for 1-2 seconds. Inner voice- written words enter indirectly after being converted subvocally e.g reading- coding- acoustic, capacity- limited
4) visuo spatial sketchpad- visual and spatial info. holds visual for very short time. coding- visual, capacity- limited (3-4 items)
outline and evaluate the working memory model AO3 (2 strengths 2 limitations)
(+) KF case study
brain damage limited to stm but when studied in depth only verbal st proccessing effected, visual st processing intact. supports the subdivisions in stm
(+) Dual task performance
ppts complete primary and secondary task involving 2 diff components. found that both tasks can be completed as long as both tasks dont require same type of processing (e.g. both visual)
(-) central executive is vague and limited
research into CE is unsatisfactory and doesnt detail the exact functions of this component. unkown if it has subdivisions or if it just acts as a filtering process. questions the processes involved in CE and limits overall knowledge of model
(-) musical memory
research has found that ppts can process instrumental music as well as someone talking at the same time (both inner ear). questions capabilities of subdivisions particularly phonological loop
Discuss types of ltm AO1
semantic: stores factual info about the world, e.g. london is capital of england, involves conscious thought, associated with temporal lobe
episodic: stores info about life events we have experienced, time stamped, e.g. memory of 10th bday party, involves conscious thought, associated with hippocampus
Procedural: stores memory on how to do things, e.g. how to ride a bike, doesnt involve conscious thought, associated with cerrebellum.
Discuss types of ltm AO3 strengths
(+) real life application:
ability to distinguish means psychologists have been able to develop treatments to better peoples lives. e.g. research has suggested that episodic can be improved with specific treatment in those who have mild cognitive impairment. benefits the lives of others
(+) supported by case studies:
HM an Clive wearing brain damage limited to ltm but then found both were damaged in episodic onl due to damaged hippocampus, others intact. supports distinction between types of ltm, one can be damaged and the rest fully intact.
(-) overlap between episodic and semantic
limited evidence to fully distinguish between the 2
episodic seen as gateway to creating semantic
criticises validity of 3 types
(-) most research into ltm is through case studies
cause studies are hard to generalise as they are too unique. this means that the theory may not be able to be applied to the wider population
Describe and evaluate how interference may cause forgetting AO1
interference theory- one memory dirupting the ability to recall another, most likely to occur when 2 memories share similarity
retroactive- new info disrupts past learning
proactive- old learning disrupts new learning
effects of similarity Mcgeoch and william Mcdonald:
P- studied retroactive- changed amount of similarity between 2 sets of materials, ppts had to learn list of 10 words until could remeber with 100% accuracy then learnt new list
F- when recall original list performance depended on second list learnt- most similar material produced worst recall
Describe and evaluate how interference may cause forgetting AO3 (3 strengths, 1 limitation)
(+) research support for retroctive
muller
asked ppts to remember nonsense sylables
ppts split into two groups- 1 had to complete interference task 1 didnt
group w interference task had worst recall
shows disruption of older memories with newer ones
(+) research support for proactive
underwood
meta analysis of studies investigating PI
findings from studies where ppts had to recall 1 word list compared to 10+
10+ word lists had worst recall of recent word lists
new disrupted by old
(+) real life supporting evidence
Baddley and Hitch
rugby players
asked to name all teams they played against that season
more games played= worse recall
(-) research into interference is quite artificial
majority research used to support interference conducted using artificial methods (lab exp) with tasks that lack mundane realism- questions how relevant it is to interference IRL
low in ecological validity
Describe and evaluate how retrieval failure due to an absence of cues leads to forgetting AO1
retrieval failure- absence of cues, being unable to access as memory that is available but not accessible
cues- things that serve as a reminder
context cues- environmental cues e.g. place
state cues- mental state in at time of learning
encoding specificity principle- for a memory to be most effective, cues present when encoding should be present at retrieval
Describe and evaluate how retrieval failure due to an absence of cues leads to forgetting AO3
(+) real life application:
can be used to improve recall e.g. when taking exams
research has suggested that although when taking eams it is unrealistic to revise in the same place as you take the exam, just thinking about the place you revised in can act as a context cue
(+) research support
Goodwin et al- Drunk vs Sober
P- asked male volunteers to remember list of words when either drunk or sober.
asked to recall list 24 hours later when some sober but others had to get drunk again
F- info learnt when drunk is more available when in same state later
supports state cues, supports validity of retrieval failure as explanation for forgetting
(-) absence of cues only affects memory when you test it a certain way
Godden and baddley found when they replicated their underwater study that when using a recognition test instad of recall, there was no context dependent effect- performance was the same in all four conditions.
(-) baddley argued that context effects only occur when the two different contexts are very different e.g. land and water, not just two different rooms.
means that real life application of retrieval failure due to lack of cues dont explain all of forgetting.
Discuss research into the effects of misleading info on the accuracy of EWT AO1
Misleading info: incorrect info given to eyewitness after an event
occurs in either leading Qs or post event discussion
leading Qs- question that suggests to a desired answer
post event discussion- conversations between co-witnesses/ interviewer and eyewitness after crime that can contaminate memory of event
Loftus and Palmer:
A- investigate effects of leading Qs
P- 45 American students
opportunity sample
lab experiment w 5 conditions
independent groups
ppts watched a video of a car crash and had to estimate the speed car was going
each condition used a diff verb
hit, bumped, collided, smashed, contacted
F- smashed had highest estimates, contacted had slowest
C- leading qs do have an effect on EWT
Discuss research into the effects of misleading info on the accuracy of EWT AO3
(+) Loftus and Zanni
showed ppts vid of car crash and then asked ppts a series of qs
half were asked if they saw “a” broken headlight other half were asked if they saw “the” broken headlight.
THE condition- 17% reported seeing one
A condition- 7% reported seeing one
(+) lab experiment
easier to replicate- standardised procedure
controlled so no extraneous variables easier to retest to see reliability of results
(-) unrepresentative sample
all students- not representative of whole population - may have less knowledge of driving so less confident in their answers
all american- not representative
small sample size- 45 ppts for the whole population
(-) the task
lacks mundane realism
watched video not and actual car crash
emotions present in an actual car crash not present when watching a video so ppts less likely to pay attention and less motivated to be accurate in their judgements
Discuss research into the effects of anxiety on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony AO1
anxiety: state of arousal/ uneasiness caused by fear of danger/misfortune
Loftus (weapon effect):
A- investigate effects of anxiety on accuracy of EWT
P- ppts asked to sit in waiting room believing they were waiting to begin the study
independent groups- 2 condition- low/high anxiety
high- ppts heard overturned furniture, arguing, smashed glass and then a man walked out with bloody hands holding a knife
low- heard convo about faulty equipment, man exited room with greasy hands holding a pen
asked to identify man from 50 Photos
F- low anxiety- 49% accurate recall
high anxiety- 33% accurate recall
C- high levels of anxiety decrease accuracy of EWT
Discuss research into the effects of anxiety on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony AO3
(+) lab experiment
controlled, easy to replicate to test for similar results, standardise procedures, no EVs.
(-) contradicting research- Christianson and Hubbinette
real life bank robberies, questioned 55 real wtnesses, either victims or bystanders- interviews 4-15 months after event
high anxiety- higher recall
(-) lab experiment- artificial, may produce unnatural behaviour- not reflecting real life, cannot generalise, lacks ecological validity
(-) ethical issues- deception, protection from psychological harm, informed consent, right to withdraw
Discuss research into the effects of cognitive interview on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony AO1
cognitive interview: used by police to help eyewitness recall info more accurately
4 components:
context reinstatement- mentally reinstate context of incident, feelings, thoughts e.g. tell me how you felt
report everything- every detail even if thought to be unnecessary e.g. tell me every detail
reverse order- reporting incident in diff order, e.g. tell me about the incident from the end to the beginning
change perspective- imagine incident from someone elses perspective e.g. tell me about the incident from someone elses perspective
