memory Flashcards
what is a memory
the information we have retained over a period of time
what is memory
our ability to retain information.
the process of remembering things
what are the 3 stages of memory
encoding storage and retrieval
what is encoding
the process of transforming information to put it into memory
what is storage
the process of maintaining information in memory
what is retrieval
the process of taking memory out of memory storage
what is memory recall
when we consciously re-access a whole memory without having to be reminded of it first
what is memory recognition
when a person is able to retrieve a memory once they are shown the memory again because it feels familiar to them.
what are the three memory characteristics
capacity duration and coding
define capacity
the size of the storage space. a larger capacity means more can be fit in storage
define duration
how long a memory store can keep information in it
define coding
the format in which things are stored in
what are the two types of sensory code
visual and acoustic code
what is sensory coding
when we store sensory information
what is the acoustic code
stores information about sound
what is the visual code
stores information about images
what is the semantic code
storing information by its meaning
what is the sensory register
a temporary memory store that holds sensory information whilst we process it
what are the three memory stores
sensory register, short term memory and long term memory
how long does the sensory register store information for
1-2 seconds (short duration)
what is the capacity of the sensory register
big
evidence that supports our understanding of the sensory register
the Sperling experiment
what was the sperling experiment method
he showed participants a 4 x 3 grid of 12 letters for 50 milliseconds. immediately afterwards participants were asked to recall the letters from the grid. condition 1 were asked to recall as many letters as they could from the grid and condition 2 were asked to recall as many letters as they could from just one row
what type of experiment was sperlings study
laboratory
what was the dependant variable in sperlings study
how many letters were recalled
what was sperlings aim
to investigate sensory register capacity
what were sperlings findings
the average number of letters recalled was 4 - 5 in condition 1 (whole grid). the average number of letters recalled was 3 in condition 2 (one row)
what were sperlings findings specifically about the sensory register
short duration
large capacity
what is the short term memory
where we store information for a short period of time whilst we complete an ongoing task
what is the duration of the short term memory
limited 18 - 30 seconds
what code does the short term memory use
semantic code and sensory code
who studied short term memory
jacobs
what is the capacity of short term memory
7+/-2 digits or letters (limited capacity)
what is chunking
when we group individual letters together into meaningful units
what did jacobs find
using the letter and digit span tests, that the capacity of short-term memory is 7 +/- 2 digits/letters
what did miller say about the capacity of the short term memory
that its 7+/-2 chunks of information not just letters or digits
what did miller find
using the letter and digit span tests, that the capacity of short-term memory is 7 +/- 2 chunks
what is the long term memory
stored for a very long time. still remembered when not needed for an ongoing task
what code does the long term memory store use
semantic code
small or large capacity and duration for the long term memory store
large for both
what did Bahrick investigate
the duration of long term memory
what was the procedure of Bahricks investigation
bahrick asked participants to recall the names of their ex classmates. he tested their memory 15 years after they left school and then tested them again 48 years after they left school. the first participants were asked to name as many names as they could with no cues(memory recall) then bahrick showed them photos of their ex classmates and asked them to give the names or showed them the names and asked them to match them up with the photos
what were Bahricks findings
15 years after they left school they could remember about 60% of the names during the recall test and 90% on the recognition test.. 48 years after they left school they could remember 30% of the names during the recall test and 80& during the recognition test
what did bahrick test during his investigation
memory recall and memory recognition
what is a strength of bahricks study
the information that he asked participants to retrieve was information about things that happened in their own lives, meaning this study has high ecological validity. more likely to generalise
what is a limitation of bahricks study
there were extraneous variables that he could not control such as how long they spent with their ex classmates and how much they liked them aswell
who investigated the coding used in short and long term memory
baddeley (1966)
what was the procedure of baddeleys investiagtion
he split them up into 4 groups. the first group were shown words that sounded similar. the second group were shown words that did not sound the same. the third group were shown words that all had similar meanings. the fourth group all had words with different meanings.to test their short term memory he asked them to recall a list of words in the correct order immediately after they were given the list.to test long term memory he asked them to recall a list of words in the correct order 20 minutes after they were given the list.
findings of baddelys study
group 1 (similar sounding words) recalled the fewest words in the right order. group 2( different sounding words) recalled the most amount of words in the right order. group 3(similar meanings) recalled the fewest words in the right order. group 4( different meanings) recalled the most words in the right order
what was the conclusion of baddeleys study
that people use an acoustic code for short term memory. that people use a semantic code for long term memory
who created the multi store model of memory
atkinson and shiffrin
what is the basis of the multi store model of memory
we have three memory stores, the sensory register, the short term memory and the long term memory. information can only pass in one direction (unidirectional) and cant bypass a memory store meaning information has to go through from the sensory register to the stm to the ltm
how does information pass from the sensory register to the short term memory according to the multi store model
it is said you have to pay attention to the information to pass from the sensory register to the stm. for example if youre driving you dont take in the colours of the car so it wont get transferred to your stm but if you hear theres a crash you pay attention to it so will go to your stm
how does information pass from the short term memory to the long term memory according to the multi store model
we have to repeat the information either out loud or in our heads which is called rehearsal
according to the multi store model what happens when a memory store is damaged
all memory stores can be damaged individually. if the long term memory is damaged information can still be stored in the sensory register and the short term memory. if the short term memory is damaged new long term memories cannot be made.
support for the multi store model
case studies
there were many case studies supporting the evidence from the multi store model including henry molaison who suffered long term memory damage after a surgery getting his hippocampus removed. when asked to recall some letters he was shown he could recall them immediately after but not 5 minutes after and would forget ever recalling them showing information could not be transferred from the short term memory to his long term memory due to the damage which supports the idea that we have separate stores
support for the multi store model
imaging studies
neuro-imaging techniques are used to see which ports of the brain are active during different tasks and behaviours . it was found that the frontal cortex was responsible for storing information in the stm. the hippocampus is responsible for storing information in the ltm which supports the idea that we have separate stores
what is the working memory model
an explanation of the memory used when working on a task.
what is the central executive
monitors and coordinates all other mental functions in the working memory
what is the episodic buffer
receives input from many sources, temporarily stores this information and then integrates it in order to construct a mental episode of what is being experienced
what is the phonological loop
codes speech sounds in working memory, typically involving maintenance rehearsal
what is the visuo spatial sketchpad
codes visual information in terms of separate objects as well as the arrangement of these objects in ones visual field
who created the idea of the working memory model
baddeley and hitch (1974)
what are the types of long term memory
episodic memory
semantic memory
procedural memory
what is the episodic memory
personal memories of events. this kind of memory includes contextual details plus emotional tone
what is the procedural memory
memory for how to do things. such memories are automatic as the result of repeated practice ( muscle memory)
what is the semantic memory
shared memories for facts and knowledge
what are the two explanations for forgetting
proactive interference and retroactive interference
what is proactive interference
where past learning interferes with current attempts to learn something
