Memory Flashcards
Discuss the Multi-Store Model of Memory (AO1)
●The MSM was developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin In 1968.
●Its a cognitive approach explaining how memory is information that passes through 3 storage systems.
●Sensory enviromental stimuli - The first system is the sensory memory - very large capacity(4items), 1/4 - 1/2 second (limited), unprocessed coding (all info.
●The second system is the short term memory - 7+/-2 items, Duration 18-30secs, coding acoustic (audio)
●3rd system is the long term memory - unlimited capacity, lifetime duration, semantic coding (meaning)
How does the MSM work
Enviromental stimuli (senses) enter the sensory memory, if we pay attention to the stimuli it enters our short term memory, If we use maintenance rehearsal (repetition) the information will stay in our STM. With elaborative rehearsal the information moves from the STM to the long term memory.
What are the 3 key assumptions of the MSM
- The STM and LTM are separate stores
- The memory is linear/or unidirectional
- The memory stores are unitary
What is capacity, coding and duration
Capacity: The amount of information a store can hold at one time.
Duration: The length of time the memory store holds information
Coding: The format in which the information is stormed at
Discuss the Multi-Store Model of Memory (A03)
(+) Research suppourt. Baddley gave participants 4 words lists - acoustically similar and dissimilar, semantically similar and dissimilar in which he asked the participants to recall instantly and after 20 minutes for alle. P’s recalled acoustically similar words worst in the STM and semantically similar words worse in the LTM. TIIB it shows how STM and LTM are stores that encode information differently. Experimental evidence that increases the validity of MSM
(+) Real life case study. Clive (amnesia) has STM, cant make new LTM. Wife describes his memory is max 30 seconds. TIIB.. STM and LTM are separate and not just 1 part of the brain. STM duration max 30secs. Therefore strong evidence for the validity of MSM
(-) However sum aspects dont support MSM - C.W retained good memory for his procedural LTM (piano) lost his episodic and semantic LTM. TIIB. - findings dont fully suppourt the model on A Unitary LTM whilst study shows there is different sections. Therefore MSM has a has a lower degree of validity.
Clive wearing is a case study. Only centerd around him, important because cant necessary apply or generalise the findings to anyone else, case study therefore lacks PV decreases as evidence for MsM.
Describe the central executive system in the Working Memory Model.
The central executive is the master system that directs attention and allocates tasks to the slave systems through strategic planning.
Very limited capacity (4 items) can only hold 1 type of info at one time.
Coding: modal free (can handle information from any sense)
Describe details about the Phonological loop in the Working Memory Model
The Phonological loop is a slave system controlled by the central executive, Responsible for storing auditory and verbal information.
Does this through its 2 sections:
Phonological store: Holds onto the words and sounds we hear.
Articulatory process: The inner voice we use for maintenance rehearsal.
Capacity: limited (2 seconds of auditory information)
Coding: acoustic
Describe details about the Visuo-spatial Sketchpad
A slave system controlled by the central executive, responsible for processing visual and spacial information.
Broken into 2 stores.
Visual cache: passive store of visual data e.g shape and colour
Inner scribe: Active store recording the arrangement of objects in 3d space (spatial awareness).
Capacity: Limited
Coding: Visual and spatial
Describe details about the Episodic buffer in the WMM
Where information is integrated from the CE, PL, VSS and LTM into one episode/ a single store.
Processes visual and auditary simultaneously data however if 2 visual or auditary pieces of info are presented simultaneously this will overload one of the slave systems.
Allows for dual coding (visual and auditary) - VSS + PL
Discuss the working memory model (A01)
Made by Badley and Hitch in 1974 as a alternative model to the Multi-Store Model.
CE - master system, directs attention and tasks to the other components of the WMM - the slave systems. Modal free cod. Limited capacity
PL - Auditary and verbal info.
•PS- Holds words and sounds.
•AL- inner voice for maintenance rehearsal .
•Acoustic coding
•Limited capacity (2secs)
VSS- Visual and spatial information.
•VC - Passive store of visual data e.g. colour and shape.
•IS- Active store recording the relationship/or arrangement between objects in visual field.
Coding- visual and spatial
Capacity- limited
EB - Integrates info between the CE, PL, VSS and LTM in2 1 store/episode. Process visual and auditary data simulation. 2 pieces of V or A data simultaneous will overall a slave system.
Dual coding
Limited capacity
Key assumptions of the Working memory Model
STM is not unitary.
Memory is not unidirectional/linear.
Discuss the working Memory model (A03)
(+) Suppourting KF Case Study (Shallice and Warrington). For example KF was a patient who suffered brain damage after a motorcycle accident. Found impaired short-term memory for verbal/auditory information, such as spoken digits or letters. Largely unaffected short-term memory for visual information (like written words or visual patterns). TIIB - STM not a single unitary store but has diff components (The PL and VSS) for diff info. Therefore increases the validity of the WMM.
(+) Supporting evidence.
Baddley had participants track light (VSS) and mentally rotate the letter F in - describe top or bottom corners on the inside or outside edge (Also VSS) and found they struggled alot more then when tracked light (VSS) and repeated words being read (PL). TIIB cos it supports EB can simultaneously process visual and auditary data simultaneously but struggles when theres 2 pieces on info coming from 1 of the components as that slave system gets overlaoded, in this case visual. High degree of validity in WMM.
(-) OTOH Baddley’s study is artifical. For example its In a controlled enviroment nd includes tracking light whilst mentally visualising the letter F. TIIB these tasks lack MR - isnt a everday thing, making it hard to generalise these results to real life sitituations, so therefore the Baddley study as evidence suppourt for the WMM lacks EV.
