Memory Flashcards
Who proposed the multi store model
Atkinson and shriffin(1968)
What are the three stages of memory
Sensory register
Short-term memory
Long term memory
What did Atkinson and Shriffin base the multi store model on?
The belief that we process memories in the same way that a computer processes information
Outline the three memory variables
Coding
- the process of changing information from the environment to story it in memory
Capacity
-the amount of information that can be stored
Duration
-the time period that information is held in the memory stores
Describe the role of the sensory register
Constantly getting information
This means that duration is short
-couple of seconds
Stores sights,sounds and tastes
If we don’t view the information as valuable, the information will be discarded,
If we do, it will move to short term memory
Duration:very quick
Capacity:large
Coding:specific to each sense
Outline a study linked to the sensory register
J.R.Stroop
Significance of valuable information on STM
You will name a colour more easily if it appears printed in that colour
Word ‘red’ that is coloured red will be named more quickly than any other word coloured red
Describe short term memory
Temporary storage system
Processes incoming sensory memory
Connects sensory memory to something already in long term memory
Storage lasts about 18-30 seconds
Duration:20 seconds
Capacity: 7+-2
Coding:primarily acoustic
Describe rehearsal
The conscious repitition of information that you want to remember.
Helps to move information from STM to LT
Called memory consolidation
Who did research towards STM capacity
George Miller (1956)
Miller
Describe research for STM capacity
George Miller (1956)
Found that people can retain about seven items in STM
7 +- 2
Describe Long Term Memory
The continuous storage of information
Contains everything that you can remember
Duration:unlimited
capacity:unlimited
Coding:primarily semantic
Describe cues in long term memories
Cues make it easier to access a memory
Describe the two types of long term memory
Explicit
Memories we consciously try to remember and recall
Sometimes explicit and declarative memory are used interchangeably
Implicit
Memories that far not part of our consciousness
Formed from behaviours
Non-declarative
Describe procedural memory
Type of implicit memory
Stored information about how to do things
Actions
No conscious recall
Describe semantic memory
Language and knowledge about language
Stores knowledge and concepts, facts
Describe episodic memory
Information about events we have personally experienced
Recollection of visual imagery
And feeling of familiarit
Outline the aim of Glanzer and Cunitz(1966)
To investigate whether STM and LTM are different memory stores
Describe the method for Glanzer and Cunitz(1966)
Ps given a list of common words to memorise.
Then asked to recall as many as possible
Describe the results of Glanzer and Cunitz(1966)
Ps remembered more words than average from the beginning (primacy effect) and the end (recency effect)
Known as serial position effect
What can we conclude from Glanzer and Cunitz(1966)
Ps remembered more words from the beginning of the list because they had been transferred by rehearsal to the long-term memory
Words at the end were still in STM
Words in the middle were forgotten because of limited capacity 7 Miller
Supports theory that the STM and LTM are separate stores
Evaluate Glanzer and Cunitz(1966)
Reliably,
Easy to replicate
Practical applications for improving memory of important information
Lacks ecological validity,
Not how we use memory in everyday life
Describe the Patient HM case study
HM suffered from severe epilepsy
Underwent surgery which destroyed his hippocampus,
Left with amnesia
Unable to make new memories
Study used numerous psychometric tests, experiments and observations
Could learn new motor skills, procedural memory in tact. Couldn’t make new episodic or semantic memories.
STM and LTM were no longer connected.
Describe the method for Peterson and Peterson(1959)
Lab experiment
24 psychology students participated
Ps had to try and recall random trigrams after different intervals of time
During these intervals, Ps had to count backwards from a random number in groups of three and four.
This stopped them from rehearsing the trigrams in their head
Describe the result of Peterson and Peterson(1959)
Ps could recall fewer trigrams as the time gap increased
3- second interval- 80% correctly
6- second interval- 50% correctly
18-second intervals- 10% correctly
What was the conclusion of Peterson and Peterson(1959)
STM has a limited duration when we can’t rehearse information
Decay causes information loss from STM
Evaluate Peterson and Peterson (1959)
Good control of variables,
Lab experiment
Low ecological validity,
Artificial set up
Lacks variety of stimuli,
No data on whether the those of stimulus affects the duration of the STM
What was the aim of Bahrick et al (1975)
To study very long term memory by testing the ability of people to recall the names of ex-classmates
Describe the method for Bahrick et al(1975)
R set up a series of three tests to test the LTM of 392 participants
The Ps we’re tested 15 years, 30
years and 48 years after graduation
Test 1- free recall
Ps asked to simply name ex-classmates
Test 2- photo recognition
Ps asked to recall names of people from yearbook
Test 3- Name recognition
Ps asked to match the names to the photograph
Describe the results of Bahrick et al(1975)
Free recall declined the most within 30 years,
Name recognition maintained a higher accuracy
15 years after graduation:
90% accuracy for name recognition
60% accuracy for free recall
Even for large class sizes
30 years after graduation:
30% accuracy for free recall
48 years after graduation:
Name recognition was 80% accurate
Photo recognition was 40% accurate
What can be concluded by Bahrick et al (1975)
Over the years, recognition was more accurate than recall
Info is stored in the LTM but information may be difficult to retrieve
Forgetting process is slow- compared to other studies in labs
Attribute the slowness to over learning
Evaluate Bahrick et al(1975)
Ecological validity
Field experiment, conducted over a long period of time , tested name recall
Name recall is a skill that people use very day
Generalisability
Results can’t be generalised to other types of information.
Names more important
Extraneous variables
Nature of study made it hard to control EV
Some may have been in regular contact
what was the aim of Sperling(1960)
To measure the amount of information that was available to a person after brief exposure to visual stimuli( recall of the sensory register)
Describe the method for Soerking(1960)
Ps shown grids of letters;
Three rows of four letters
S chose letters because they have a large amount of information and they have been used by previous investigators.
Control tests were done first to measure the individuals ability to recall the letter as this will be unique
Meant to establish a baseline for the individual.
Experiment showed Ps the grid for 0.05 seconds in 2 scenarios,
Recall whole grid
Recall a single row
The row to be recalled was identified by a high/medium/low tone that was played directly after the grid was shown.
P didn’t know high row was to be selected
Describe the results of Sperling(1960)
1st scenario: recall whole grid
Ps only managed to recall 4/5 letters out of 12
2nd scenario: recall a single row
They could only recall three letters
Results were consistent no matter which row was selected
What can be concluded from Sperling(1960)
Sensory register is finite
Entire grid was in their sensory register,
But info decayed
Evaluate sperling(1960)
Highly controlled lab experiment,
Scientific, easily replicable
Not a real life situation
Artificial
Low ecological validity
