Memory Flashcards
What are the components of the Multi-Store Model of Memory?
Sensory register, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). Information passes from sensory register to STM through attention, and from STM to LTM through rehearsal.
What is the duration of short-term memory?
About 18-30 seconds without rehearsal (Peterson & Peterson, 1959).
What is the capacity of short-term memory?
7 ± 2 items (Miller, 1956). This is referred to as Miller’s “magic number.”
How is information encoded in short-term memory and long-term memory?
STM: Mainly acoustically.
LTM: Mainly semantically (Baddeley, 1966).
What are the three types of long-term memory?
Episodic memory – Memory of events (e.g., birthdays).
Semantic memory – Memory of facts and knowledge.
Procedural memory – Memory of how to do things (e.g., riding a bike).
What are the components of the Working Memory Model?
Central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, and episodic buffer.
What is the phonological loop?
Part of the WMM responsible for auditory information. Divided into the phonological store (inner ear) and articulatory control process (inner voice).
What is the role of the visuo-spatial sketchpad in the WMM?
It processes visual and spatial information, sometimes referred to as the “inner eye.”
What is the role of the central executive in the WMM?
Directs attention and coordinates activities of the phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad. Has a limited capacity.
What is the episodic buffer?
Added to the WMM in 2000 by Baddeley. Integrates information from the phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, and LTM into a coherent sequence.
What is interference theory in memory?
Suggests that forgetting occurs because memories interfere with each other. Two types:
Proactive interference – Older memories interfere with the recall of newer ones.
Retroactive interference – Newer memories interfere with the recall of older ones.
What is retrieval failure?
Forgetting occurs due to lack of cues. Memory is available but not accessible. Includes context-dependent forgetting (e.g., environment) and state-dependent forgetting (e.g., mood).
What did Loftus and Palmer’s (1974) study on eyewitness testimony find?
Leading questions can distort memory. Participants’ speed estimates varied based on the verb used in the question (e.g., “smashed” vs. “contacted”).
What is the cognitive interview technique?
A method used to improve accuracy of eyewitness testimony by:
Reinstating the context
Changing the order of recall
Changing the perspective
Reporting everything
How does anxiety affect eyewitness testimony?
Anxiety has a complex effect:
Weapon focus effect (e.g., Johnson & Scott, 1976) suggests high anxiety can reduce accuracy.
Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests moderate levels of anxiety can improve recall, but extreme levels reduce accuracy.
