Memory

Question 1

Outline and explain the MSM

Answer 1

The MSM was the first cognitive explanation of memory, devised by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968). It explains how information flows through a series of storage systems, with three permanent structures in memory- the SR, STM, and LTM. Each stage differs in coding, capacity, and duration.

Question 2

Outline and explain the sensory register (SR), including coding, capacity, and duration.

Answer 2

The SR is an automatic response to reception of sensory information by the sense organs. Information is stored in a raw, unprocessed form, with separate sensory stored for different sensory inputs. The capacity of each sensory store is very large with the information contained in a detailed, changing format. All sensory memory stores have limited duration.

Question 3

Explain the short term memory (STM) including coding, capacity, and duration.

Answer 3

The STM temporarily stored information received from the SR, and encodes the information from its original raw from to a form the STM can easily deal with (mainly acoustic, but also visual and semantic). STM has a limited capacity, which can be increased by chunking - giving information collective meaning. The amount of time information remains in STM is a maximum of 30 seconds, which can be extended by rehearsal of the material, transferring it to the LTM.

Question 4

Explain the Long Term Memory (LTM), including coding, capacity and duration.

Answer 4

The LTM uses mainly semantic coding (based on meaning), along with visual and acoustic. Coding will be stronger if more stimulus is processed when the memory is experienced, making the memory more retrievable. The LTM has a potentially unlimited capacity. Information could be lost due to decay and interference, but not due to limitations. The duration of memories in LTM is potentially a lifetime. Well-coded and rehearsed items in LTM are likely to last longer.

Question 5

Outline and explain strengths of the MSM

Question 6

Outline and explain weaknesses of the MSM

Question 7

Outline and explain the WMM

Question 8

Outline the types of LTM

Question 9

Explain episodic LTM

Question 10

Explain semantic LTM

Question 11

Explain procedural LTM

Question 12

Explain interference theory (proactive and retroactive)

Answer 12

Interference theory sees forgetting as due to info in LTM becoming confused with or disrupt by other information during coding, leading to inaccurate recall. Proactive interference occurs when information stored previously interferes with an attempt to recall something new. Retroactive interference occurs when coding new information disrupts information stored previously.

Question 13

Explain cue-dependent forgetting (context and state dependent forgetting)

Answer 13

Cue dependent forgetting occurs when information is still in LTM but cannot be accessed. It sees recall as dependent on accessing information by remembering the retrieval cue under which the information is stored. Context dependent failure relates to external retrieval cues, forgetting occurs when the external environment is different at recall from at coding. State dependent failure relates to internal retrieval cues, forgetting occurs when individuals internal environment is different at recall and coding.

Question 14

Outline misleading information as a factor affecting EWT

Question 15

Outline and evaluate one factor of anxiety affecting EWT (weapons effect).

Answer 15

Real life events like violent crimes have a high anxiety content and emotional involvement which EWT research doesn’t account for.
Loftus et al (1987) argued for a “weapons effect” where witnesses to crimes focus on the weapon being used, rather than the culprits face, negatively affecting ability to recall details. However, Christianson and Hubinette (1993) studied recall of witnesses to real bank robberies, finding that increased arousal led to improvements in accuracy of recall, suggesting that anxiety creating situations don’t always divert attention from detail.

Question 16

Outline and evaluate one factor of anxiety affecting EWT (IUH)

Answer 16

The Inverted-U hypothesis (IUH) was introduced by Deffenbacher (1983) who used inverted-U hypothesis to explain how anxiety levels affect accuracy of recall. The IUH sees moderate amounts of anxiety as improving accuracy up to a optimal point. After this point, increasing anxiety leads to declining accuracy.

Question 17

Outline a strength and weakness of cue-dependent forgetting.

Answer 17

A strength is the research support- Godden+Baddeley (1975) got deep-sea divers to lean material either on dry land or underwater. Recall was worse when occurring in a different context to coding, compared to the same context, supporting CDF. A weakness is that a lot of CDF studies are not reflective of everyday tasks, and so much of the research support lacks ecological validity.

Question 18

Outline strengths and weaknesses of interference theory.

Answer 18

A strength is the research support- Baddeley and Hitch (1977) got participants who played rugby games to remember as many of the teams they had played as possible. They found that forgetting was more due to number of games played, rather than time passes between games, supporting IT rather than decay theory. A weakness is that IT only explains forgetting when two sets of information are similar, which doesn’t happen often in real life, so it lacks ecological validity. Another way it lacks mundane realism is because research tends to use laboratory experiments based on artificial tasks.