Memory

Question 1

How do we use visual paired-comparison task to test memory?

Answer 1

We familiarise/habituate babies to stimulus, then manipulate the delay/retention interval.
Test familiar stimulus with novel stimulus.
If baby remembers, it will show novelty preference

Question 2

If we test baby over very long delays….

Answer 2

After long delays babies tend to show familiarity preferences - look longer at familiar thing than novel thing

Question 3

Problem with VPCT?

Answer 3

How do we interpret behaviour of null preference?

Question 4

What is high amplitude sucking normally used for?

Answer 4

Seeing what they remember of their in-utero experience

Question 5

How does HAS procedure utilise operant conditioning?

Answer 5

Infants learn the contingency between the sucking behaviour and a reinforcement (e.g. hearing their mother’s voice)

Question 6

DeCasper and Spence study involved….

Answer 6

Mother read Cat in the Hat in the last trimester of pregnancy
Recorded mum and stranger reading that story, and mum reading different story
Reinforcement makes sucking behaviour increase

Question 7

DeCasper and Spence study results?

Answer 7

In-utero experiences most reinforcing, cause highest sucking amplitudes

Question 8

How does the mobile conjugate reinforcement procedure work?

Answer 8

Utilises operant conditiong

• String tied between foot and mobile
• Kick -> reinforcing (mobile dancing)
• Kicking increases in frequency and intensity as they learn contingency

Question 9

Who created the mobile conjugate reinforcement?

Answer 9

Carolyn Rovee-Collier from Rutger University

Question 10

Visual paired-comparison, high amplitude sucking, and mobile conjugate reinforcement procedures are used up till…

Answer 10

6 months of age

Question 11

What’s done in the imitation task

Answer 11

The puppet task demonstrated to demonstration group

• Three actions shown - remove mitten from puppet’s hand, shake it to make jingly bells ring, replace mitten
• No verbal cueing or practice
• 6 month old - 6 times over 60 seconds
• Older babies (eg 12 months) - 3 times over 30 seconds
• Test the next day

Baseline group: get test only

Question 12

What develops in memory development? (first year and a half)

Answer 12

Encoding, retention, retrieval

Question 13

Older infants, compared to younger infants…

Answer 13

• Learn faster
• Remember for longer
• Better able to retrieve memories in different situations than are younger infants