Memory

Question 1

What’s the duration of memory??

Answer 1

Length of time info can be held in memory.
STM is 18-30 seconds & LTM lasts forever

Question 2

What’s coding in Memory??

Answer 2

The format in which information is stored (‘how’)
STM is coded acoustically & LTM is coded semantically

Question 3

What’s capacity in Memory??

Answer 3

The amount of information that can be held in a memory store.
The span of STM is 7 items +/- 2 .

Question 4

What are the 2 studies that evaluated duration of memory??

Answer 4

• Baddeley (1966)
• Bahrick (1975)

Question 5

What did Baddeley in 1966 do??

Answer 5

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

Question 6

What did Bahrick in 1975 mean??

Answer 6

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%

Question 7

What is the study that evaluates capacity in memory??

Answer 7

Miller (1956): Found that span of STM is 7 items +/- 2. Able to do this by chunking smaller pieces of info together

Question 8

What is the study that evaluates coding in memory??

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What’s the Multi-store Model of Memory??

Answer 9

Shows us the journey of information from when we take it (our senses) to the LTM

Question 10

What are 2 of the 5 sensory registers??

Answer 10

Iconic: Visual information coded visually
Echoic: Auditory information coded acoustically

Question 11

Give 3 features of material in the sensory register??

Answer 11

• Only lasts a few seconds
• High capacity
• Little passes into memory unless it’s paid attention to

Question 12

What is the working memory model??

Answer 12

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!

Question 13

What does the Central Executive do??

Answer 13

Coordinates activities of the 3 subsystems ion memory.
Attentional process that monitors incoming data, makes decisions and allocates subsystems to tasks!

Question 14

What is the capacity of the Central Executive??

Answer 14

Limited

Question 15

What does the Visuospatial sketchpad do??

Answer 15

Processes visual and spatial information

Question 16

What is the capacity of the Visuospatial sketchpad??

Answer 16

Limited. Baddeley in 2003 said it’s about 3-4 objects

Question 17

Who and when subdivided the Visuospatial sketchpad??
And what was it divided into??

Answer 17

Logie 1995
- Visual cache (storing visual data)
- The inner scribe (records arrangement of objects in visual field)

Question 18

What does the Episodic Buffer do??

Answer 18

Brings together information from other subsystems to create one singular memory!
Provides a bridge between working memory and LTM
Maintains sense of time-sequencing

Question 19

Who added the Episodic Buffer??

Answer 19

Baddeley in 2000

Question 20

What’s the capacity of the Episodic Buffer??

Answer 20

Limited of 4 chunks

Question 21

What does the Phonological Loop do??

Answer 21

Processes information in terms of sound
Contributes to our learning of sounds of language
Preserves order in which information arrives

Question 22

What are the 2 components of the Phonological Loop??

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

What is the Clinical Evidence evaluation point??

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What’s the issue with the Clinical Evidence evaluation point??

Answer 24

Concerns unique cases with brain-damaged patients who’ve had traumatic experiences

Question 25

What is the Dual Task Performance evaluation point??

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What is the Lack of Clarity of the Central Executive evaluation point??

Answer 26

• 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

Question 27

Who created the idea of there being 3 types of LTM?? (and when)

Answer 27

Tulving in 1985
Believed that MSM view of LTM was too simplistic and inflexible

Question 28

What are the 3 types of LTM??

Answer 28

• Episodic
• Semantic
• Procedural

Question 29

What are Episodic memories??

Answer 29

Time-stamped memory of events like locations and people involved.
Recalled consciously with effort

Question 30

What are Semantic memories??

Answer 30

Memories of knowledge of the world and facts
Recalled consciously, not time-stamped, constantly added to

Question 31

What are Procedural memories??

Answer 31

Memories on how to do things (like writing and reading)
Recalled without conscious
Difficult to explain to others

Question 32

What is Flashbulb Memory??

Answer 32

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

Question 33

What is the clinical evidence supporting the existence of the different types of LTM??

Answer 33

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

Question 34

What is the neuroimaging evidence for the existence of the 3 types of LTM??

Answer 34

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

Question 35

What is the real-life application of the 3 types of LTM??

Answer 35

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

Question 36

What is a disadvantage of the 3 types of LTM??

Answer 36

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)