Memory Flashcards
Describe the DEC for Sensory Memory with Evidence. (MSM)
The Sensory Memory has a duration of 0.5-2 seconds Max. It encodes things iconically, ecoically or haptically. And it has a capacity of four items (iconic)
Evidence = Sperling (1960) used a tachiscope to flash 12 letters onto a board, and asked PT’s ro rember as many as they could in 50ms - they reported seeing about four.
Describe the DEC for Short Term Memory with Evidence. (MSM)
Duration: 30 Seconds Max - Peterson & Peterson (1959) Read nonsense trigrams to PT’s then got them to count backwards from a large 3 digit number in 3’s for varying amounts of time. After 3 seconds there was an 80% recall, and after 18 seconds there was a 10% recall.
Encoding: Acoustically - remember it by sound.
Capacity: 5-9 items - PT’s presented with increasingly long lists of numbers and letters and had to recall them in the right order. Capacity for numbers =9.3 and letters = 7.3
Describe the DEC for Long Term Memory with Evidence. (MSM)
Duration: Forever - Barrick (1975) 392 ex-American high school students between 17 and 14 years old. Were tested by using Free Recall, a photo recognition test and identify former classmates fro set of 50 photos. After 14 years recognition was 90% accurate and after 47 years it was 60%
Encoding: Semantically - Baddeley (1966) used words lists to test effects of acoustic and semantic encoding on STM and LTM. Difficulty remembering acoustically encoded words in LTM but not in STM etc.
Capacity: Unlimited - Wagenaar (1986) created a diary of over 2400 events over 6 years and tested himself on recall of events not dates.
Strengths of the MSM. (2)
1) There is experimental support for the existence of separate memory stores. Glanzer and Cunitz gave PT’s a word list to recall in any order - They remembered more words from the beginning (LTM) and the end (STM). Suggesting we do have different memory stores.
2) There is naturalistic support in the case of HM. He was a male patient who suffered from epilepsy. At 27 he underwent surgery to relieve his fits. the temporal lobes on each side of his brain were removed. Since the day of surgery HM was unable to form new long-term memories. His STM was normal but he was unable to extend his STM through rehearsal.
Weaknesses of MSM. (4)
1) Glanzer and Cunitz’s research comes from an artificial lab experiment- the task of memorising word lists is not done in day to do life, and so this evidence lacks credibility.
2) The study of HM provides a theoretical flaw with the MSM and how LTM is not a unitary store. At one point HM broke his leg and was repeatedly taught to use crutches - at one point he woke up with the knowledge on how to use them. Suggesting the MSM is too simplistic and LTM is not one thing.
3) The case study of KF shows another theoretical flaw with MSM and how STM is not a single unitary store. KF had a motorcycle accident which damaged his STM, but not his LTM from before. His STM did not work acoustically but did visually.
4) Alternative theories can explain the features more effectively. The WMM is a more recent alternative approach to understanding the STM
Who was the cognitive interview created by and what are the four components of it?
The cognitive interview was created by Fischer and Gieselman (1985, 1992)
1) Report Everything - Ask witness to tell Police every detail of event.
2) Context Reinstatement - Mentally Recreate the scene in their minds and imagine the environment.
3) Recall in reverse order - Recall events from the incident. Helps accuracy and prevents lying.
4) Recall from a changed perspective - Imagine the scene of the incident from someone else’s perspective.
What are the strengths of the cognitive interview? (2)
1) There is evidence that it is effective. Kohnken et al (1999) found that compared to standard interviewing techniques the CI produced an increase of 81% in the recall of correct information about an event.
2) There is evidence that it works in real life. Stein and Memon (2006) tested the effectiveness in Brazil, by using it to interview university cleaning staff who had been shown a video taped abduction - they found that it increased the amount of correct information recalled and is superior in forensically rich knowledge.
What are the weaknesses of the cognitive interview? (2)
1) There is a practical problem with the CI. Memon et al (1994) study showed that police may not be given sufficient training, detectives only received 4 hours training in the CI.
2) There is a further practical problem. Kebbell and Wagstaff’s (1999) report , police officers suggest that they used the CI but a large number were worried about the amount of incorrect information recalled and how time-consuming it was.
