Memory

Question 1

What is memory

Answer 1

Process of storing information so that it can be retrieved when it is needed

Question 2

What are the three processes in memory

Answer 2

Coding - the way info is changed so it can be stored
Storage - keeping info in memory until is needed
Retrieval - recovering memory from storage when it is necessary

Question 3

What are the different types of memory stored

Answer 3

Sensory register - contains unprocessed information received from senses - Echoic store and iconic store
STM - temporary store for memory
LTM - permanent store for memory

Question 4

What is capacity and duration

Answer 4

Capacity - the amount of info that can be stored before it is displaced
Duration - amt of time info can be stored before it is lost

Question 5

Coding of memory

Answer 5

SR - modality specific
STM - acoustically
LTM - semantically

Question 6

Test for coding and evaluation

Answer 6

BADDELEY AND HITCH
4 list of words
A B - soundings
C D - meanings

STM - immediately recall, list A worse than list B, c and d the same evidence for ACOUSTICALLY coded
LTM - wait 20 mins and then recall again so info sent to LTM through elaborating rehearsal, C worse than D and A and B is same so LTM is SEMANTICALLY coded

AO3
- lab experiment, so high levels of control over extraneous variables so can be repeated
- low ecological validity, task is artificial, not smth you would be expected to do irl

Question 7

Capacity of the memory stores

Answer 7

SR - unlimited
STM - 7+-2
LTM - unlimited

Question 8

Test for capacity of memory

Answer 8

JACOBS DIGIT SPAN TEST
gave a sequence of digits and letters, told participants to recall immediately after what they remembered, keep adding another digit each time,
FOUND on AVG 9.3 digits and 7.3 letters can be stored
Miller reviewed research and found that 7+-2 pieces of info can be stored before being displaced by new information

AO3
+ Jacob was first to identify that capacity increases as age increases
- study conducted very long time ago so may not have been conducted to the same scientific rigour as now so validity is questionable

Question 9

Duration of memory

Answer 9

Sr - 250 milliseconds
STM - 18-30s
LTM - unlimited

Question 10

Test for duration of memory

Answer 10

STM
Peterson and Peterson - nonsense trigrams to memorise
Then got then to count backward from 100 in 3s to prevent maintenance rehearsal
3 s - 90%
9s - 20%
18s - 2%
Concluded duration is 18-30s

LTM - bahrick got 400 ppl ages 17 -74, test of recall
Photo recognition test - photo of ppl from their yearbook, had to say there name
Free recall - say names of anyone they remember who they graduated with
Photo-recognition - 90% accurate for those who left Highschool in under 15 years and 70% accurate for those after 48 years
Free recall - 60% within 15 years, 30% for up until 48 years

Concluded LTM is unlimited however what makes us forget is lack of retrieval cues

AO3
+ high ecological validity, task that would be expected in real life, more meaningful compared to Peterson Peterson
- can not control extraneous variables, e,g ow many times ppl have looked at yearbook after leaving

Question 11

Multi-storey model of memory AO1

Answer 11

ATKINSON AND SHIFFRIN

Attempted To explain how memory flows to the different stores.
The three permanent structures – SR, LTM AND ST,

SR - contains unprocessed info received from environmental stimuli, iconic and Echoic stores
has a duration of 250 milliseconds before small fraction of it is sent to STM, rest decays

STM -
Info received is coded acoustically
Temporary store for info, needs to be recalled and forgotten before going to LTM
Maintenance rehearsal is used to keep it in stm, if sufficient rehearsal then converted into LTM
Has duration of 18-30s

LTM -
Info received from stm coded semantically.
Hold vats amount of info for infinite amount of times
Needs to. Be retrieved via the short term memory
Appear to forget things due to lack of retrieval cues

Question 12

Multi store model of memory AO3

Answer 12

• scoville, looked at HM’s patient who had epilepsy, parts of brain removed including hippocampus, unable to form new LTM, STM was unaffected, - supports idea of distinct LTM and STM
• Schallice and Warrington looked at patient KF who had a motorbike accident, his STM was affected by 1 to 2 digits, but had normal long term memory, - evidence for distinct regions for stm and LTM, however in stm only poor for verbal traits not visual. So more than one type of stm. According to this shoukd be difficult to retain LTM as LTM is retrieved via stm however it is easy so not suitable model for memory
• Murdock - free recall experiment, list of words, words at beggining of list and end of list best recalled serial position effect. Primary effect (words at start into LTM) recency effect (words at end in stm) evidence
• OVERSIMPLIFIED research suggests several diff types of stm and LTM
• baddeky and hitch argued that this theory does not explain how multitasking is possible if there is only one stm