memory

Question 1

Define capacity

Answer 1

A measure of the amount of information that can be stored in the memory

Question 2

Define coding

Answer 2

The way that information is modified so it can be stored in the memory.
can be stored:
-Visual coding
-Acoustic coding
-Semantic coding

Question 3

Define duration

Answer 3

A measure of how long a memory can be stored before it is no longer available

Question 4

Baddeley research on coding (A01)

Answer 4

Information was stored in many different forms depending on memory store

-Showed 20 words to ppts & asked them to recall
-Group 1= acoustically similar
-Group 2= acoustically dissimilar
-Group 3= semantically similar
-Group 4= semantically dissimilar

-In STM acoustically similar was recalled worse
-In LTM semantically similar was recalled worse

therefore Acoustic coding in STM, Semantic Coding in LTM.

Question 5

Baddeley research on coding (A03)

Answer 5

Strength:
-identified clear difference between 2 memory stores - STM acoustic, LTM semantic
-Info lead to the development of the MSM

Limitation:
-study uses artificial stimuli - word lists given to each group had a personal meaning. this means Baddeley findings may not tell us much about coding in different types of memory tasks especially in everyday life (suggests findings from study have limited application

Question 6

Define STM (short term memory)

Answer 6

Memory store which holds info for a limited amount of time (temporary store)

Question 7

Define LTM (long term memory)

Answer 7

Memory story which holds unlimited info forever. (permanent store)

Question 8

Define SR (sensory registor)

Answer 8

Temporary store holding information from each of the 5 senses

Question 9

Jacobs & Miller Research on capacity (A01)

Answer 9

Jacobs: Digit Span
-researcher reads out 4 digits to ppt and if they get all digits correct researcher will do the same thing but add a digit each time until ppt gets it wrong. (indicates digit span)
-Mean for digits was 9.3, mean for letters was 7.3

Miller: Span of Memory and Chunking
-observed everyday practice and realised things came in 7’s (7 days a week, seven notes on musical scale), So said Capacity of STM is 7+/-2
-Also realised people recall 5 words as easily as 5 letters - do this by chunking & grouping.

Question 10

Jacob & Miller Research on capacity (A03)

Answer 10

Strength:
-(J) Jacob’s study has been replicated as very old and lacked enough controls
- Certain ppts digit span could have been underestimated (distracted during testing). However findings have been confirmed by more highly controlled studies- Valid test for STM

Limitation:
-(M) Miller may have overestimated STM Capacity
-Cowan reviewed research & said STM Capacity is 4+/-1 chunks, meaning his estimate (M) must be less accurate.

Question 11

Peterson & Peterson Research on Duration of STM (A01)

Answer 11

• 24 undergraduates in 8 trials each
• Each trials students were given a consonant syllable and a 3-digit number eg. THX 123
• Students were asked to count backwards from the 3-digit number to prevent any mental rehearsal
• On each trial participants were stopped at different amounts of time (3,6,9,12,15 or 18 seconds – the retention interval)
• Found that the longer the retention interval, the less correct responses – suggesting STM has very short duration, of around 18 seconds

Question 12

Bahrick et al Research on duration for LTM (A01)

Answer 12

• 24 undergraduates in 8 trials each
• Each trials students were given a consonant syllable and a 3-digit number
• Students were asked to count backwards from the 3-digit number to prevent any mental rehearsal
• On each trial participants were stopped at different amounts of time (3,6,9,12,15 or 18 seconds – the retention interval)
• Found that the longer the retention interval, the less correct responses – suggesting STM has very short duration, of around 18 seconds

Question 13

Peterson & Peterson research on Duration of STM (A03)

Answer 13

-Lacks mundane realism - participants were given a triad to remember as well as three digits. This is is not a modern thing we would do when using our memories in real life, which therefore makes it unclear as to how our memories work during real life tasks
-also lacks external validity

Question 14

Bahrick et al research on duration of LTM (A03)

Answer 14

Strength:
- Has high external validity
-ppts who were tested 15 years after grad were about 90% accurate in photo recognition as their LTM has longer duration
-Real meaningful memories were being studied instead of meaningless ones - our real life memory is used in the same way

Limitation:
-Has a lack of control over extraneous variables - factors such as the relationship with ex classmates and the amount of time they spent with each other at school would affect recognition & recall, which would’ve affected the dependant variable. if this effected the dv we would not know if it was the iv which affected it or the extraneous variables

Question 15

What is the Multi-Store Memory model? (MSM)

Answer 15

-Representation of how 3 stores of memory are linked by processing

Question 16

Sensory register

Answer 16

-Memory store for our 5 senses
-Coding is modality specific in each store
-Huge capacity short duration
-passes to STM by paying attention

Question 17

Short term memory (STM)

Answer 17

-Coded acoustically
-18-30 Second duration
-temporary store
-capacity of 7+/-2
-memory stored in STM through maintainance nance rehearsal
-Passed onto STM by prolonged rehearsal

Question 18

Long term memory (LTM)

Answer 18

-Permanent memory store
-Semantically coded
-infinite capacity
-to retrieve information it must be sent back to STM through rehearsal
-Duration is unlimited

Question 19

MSM A03 (Evaluations)

Answer 19

Strength:
- Baddeley found we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using our STM but mix up words that have similar meanings when we use our LTM. Showing STM coded acoustically, and LTM coded semantically. supports the model as it demonstrates there’s 2 separate memory stores that are different from each other, as info coded differently within them. Highlighting how model useful to explain how memories stored.

LImitation:
-Shallice & Warrington studied patient with amnesia, KF. KF`s memory for digits was poor when read aloud to him but recall much better when he read digits to himself. Further studies of KF and others with amnesia show there could be another short-term store to process visual information (separate to verbal information). contradicts model as suggests there could be STM sub-stores, however model only proposes 1 STM memory store. Suggesting there is more to memory than MSM model suggests, so it’s not useful to explain how memories formed.

Limitations:
-future contradictory research demonstrates there could be more than one type of rehearsal. Craick and Watkins found that type of rehearsal more important than amount. argue that rather that prolonged rehearsal needed to transfer info from STM to LTM, its elaborative rehearsal needed for long-term storage. occurs when you link new information to your now existing knowledge or you think deeply about what the info means, as opposed to copying + repeating. contradicts MSM as info can be transferred to LTM store without any need for prolonged rehearsal. Proves model is not useful in explaining how memories are formed/stored.

Question 20

Episodic memory (LTM)

Answer 20

-Declarative - can be explained as a statement
-LTM store for personal events
-Includes memories of when events occurred , people , objects & behaviours involved
-Time stamped - can remember when and where event happened
-must be retrieved consciously with effort
-Autobiographical
-easiest memory to forget

Question 21

Semantic memory (LTM)

Answer 21

-Declarative
-LTM store for knowledge of the world
-includes facts & definitions of what words/concepts mean
-retrieved consciously with effort
-resistant to forgetting
-Non-Autobiographical

Question 22

Procedural memory

Answer 22

-Non-Declarative
-LTM store for knowledge on how to do things
-includes memories of learned skills
-recalled unconsciously - without deliberate effort
-Involves:
Primary motor cortex
Cerebellum
Prefrontal cortex
-Very resistant to forgetting
-Non-Autobiographical

Question 23

Types of LTM stores A03 (Evaluations)

Answer 23

Limitation (Clive Wearing):
-idea of different LTM stores relies on use of case studies, like Clive Wearing and Henry Molaison, who suffered from brain injuries. Case studies lack control of variables. brain injuries experienced by participants usually unexpected. researcher had no way of controlling what had happened to the participants before / during the injury. researcher had no knowledge of the individual’s memory before damage. Without this, difficult to judge exactly how much worse it is afterwards. Lack of control limits what case studies tell us about different types of LTM.

Strengths:
-research to support from case studies Henry Molaison and Clive Wearing. episodic memory of both men severely impacted due to brain damage. semantic memories unaffected. still understood meaning of words. HM couldn’t recall stroking a dog, but didn’t need word dog defined to him. CW retained information on how to sing + read sheet music. supports idea of multiple LTM stores as we can see retainment of certain memory stores, demonstrating 3 memory components are individual, separate from each other.

-real work application. Understanding types of LTM allows psychologists to help people with memory problems. E.g. as people age, they experience memory loss. Research has sown this is specific to episodic memory – harder to recall personal events that occurred more recently, however past episodic memories remain intact. Showing that distinguishing between types of LTM would enable specific treatments to be developed.

Question 24

Working memory model (WMM)