Memory Flashcards
What’s the duration of memory??
Length of time info can be held in memory.
STM is 18-30 seconds & LTM lasts forever
What’s coding in Memory??
The format in which information is stored (‘how’)
STM is coded acoustically & LTM is coded semantically
What’s capacity in Memory??
The amount of information that can be held in a memory store.
The span of STM is 7 items +/- 2 .
What are the 2 studies that evaluated duration of memory??
- Peterson & Peterson (1959)
- Bahrick (1975)
Which study evaluates coding in memory??
Baddeley (1966): Gave different lists of words to 4 groups: sounded similar, sounded different, same meaning, different meaning.
If ppts had to recall their list immediately: Worse with words sounding similar
Recall after a time interval: Worse with words with same meaning
What did Bahrick in 1975 mean??
392 ppts between 17-74. Used high school yearbooks to assess LTM. Found that ppts tested within 15 years of graduation were 90% accurate in photo recognition & 48 years declined to 70%
What is the study that evaluates capacity in memory??
Miller (1956): Found that span of STM is 7 items +/- 2. Able to increase this by chunking smaller pieces of info together.
He observed this by noting that in everyday practice, things come in sevens (musical scale, day of the week, deadly sins, etc)
What did Peterson and Peterson (1959) do to evaluate duration??
Peterson & Peterson (1959): 24 students each asked to remember a trigram e.g. HYK & a 3-digit number. Asked to count backwards in 3’s from this number to prevent rehearsal of trigram. Found that length of time (seconds) students were asked to count for affected their recall
What’s the Multi-store Model of Memory??
Shows us the journey of information from when we take it (our senses) to the LTM
What are 2 of the 5 sensory registers??
Iconic: Visual information coded visually
Echoic: Auditory information coded acoustically
Give 3 features of material in the sensory register??
- Only lasts a few seconds
- High capacity
- Little passes into memory unless it’s paid attention to
What is the working memory model??
A representation of STM. Suggests that STM is a dynamic processor of different types of info using sub-units coordinated by a central decision-making system!
What does the Central Executive do??
Coordinates activities of the 3 subsystems ion memory.
Attentional process that monitors incoming data, makes decisions and allocates subsystems to tasks!
What is the capacity of the Central Executive??
Limited
What does the Visuospatial sketchpad do??
Processes visual and spatial information
What is the capacity of the Visuospatial sketchpad??
Limited. Baddeley in 2003 said it’s about 3-4 objects
Who and when subdivided the Visuospatial sketchpad??
And what was it divided into??
Logie 1995
- Visual cache (storing visual data)
- The inner scribe (records arrangement of objects in visual field)
What does the Episodic Buffer do??
Brings together information from other subsystems to create one singular memory!
Provides a bridge between working memory and LTM
Maintains sense of time-sequencing
Who added the Episodic Buffer??
Baddeley in 2000
What’s the capacity of the Episodic Buffer??
Limited of 4 chunks
What does the Phonological Loop do??
Processes information in terms of sound
Contributes to our learning of sounds of language
Preserves order in which information arrives
What are the 2 components of the Phonological Loop??
Phonological Store (stores words we hear)
Articulatory Process (Allows maintenance rehearsal -> A constant loop in working memory of what we need to remember in that short moment)
What is the Clinical Evidence evaluation point??
Shallice & Warrington (1970)
Case study of Patient KF with brain damage
- Poor STM ability for verbal information
- Could process visual information normally
Suggests: Only phonological loop was damaged
Supports Model: Evidences existence of separate visual & acoustic store existing
What’s the issue with the Clinical Evidence evaluation point??
Concerns unique cases with brain-damaged patients who’ve had traumatic experiences
What is the Dual Task Performance evaluation point??
Baddeley et al (1975)
Ppts had more difficulty doing 2 visual tasks than doing 1 visual and 1 verbal at the same time
Supports: 2 visual tasks would be competing for same slave system
Must be separate slave system that processes visual info
What is the Lack of Clarity of the Central Executive evaluation point??
- Many cognitive psychologists say the CE is unsatisfactory and doesn’t really explain anything
- Baddeley (2003): Said it’s most important but least understood
- Hasn’t really been fully explained
Who created the idea of there being 3 types of LTM?? (and when)
Tulving in 1985
Believed that MSM view of LTM was too simplistic and inflexible
What are the 3 types of LTM??
- Episodic
- Semantic
- Procedural
What are Episodic memories??
Time-stamped memory of events like locations and people involved.
Recalled consciously with effort
What are Semantic memories??
Memories of knowledge of the world and facts
Recalled consciously, not time-stamped, constantly added to
What are Procedural memories??
Memories on how to do things (like writing and reading)
Recalled without conscious
Difficult to explain to others
What is Flashbulb Memory??
Detailed and vivid memory of an event that’s stored after one occasion and lasts a lifetime.
Often life-changing events (births, death & historical events like 911)
Usually emotional arousal when memory is first encoded & it makes memory particularly vivid
What is the clinical evidence supporting the existence of the different types of LTM??
Clive Wearing case study
- Brain infection
- Episodic memory impaired (didn’t recognise wife whenever she left room for a few mins and then came back)
- Semantic memory unaffected
- Procedural memory unaffected (could still read music)
Weakness: Case study weaknesses
What is the neuroimaging evidence for the existence of the 3 types of LTM??
Tulving got ppts to perform memory tasks whilst using PET scan to scan brains.
- Left prefrontal cortex used to recall semantic memories
- Right prefrontal cortex used to recall episodic memories
What is the real-life application of the 3 types of LTM??
Belleville (2006):
- Improved episodic memory in old people with mild cognitive impairment
- Trained ppts performed better than control on a test of episodic memory
- Ability to distinguish between types of LTM allows for specific treatment to be developed
What is a disadvantage of the 3 types of LTM??
Clinical research can’t be 100% valid as it varies from person to person. it can’t be known what that person’s memory would have been like before the accident (Clive Wearing)
