Memory

Question 1

Multi store model AO1

Answer 1

• Describes how information flows through a memory system consisting of three stores and describes how information is transferred between these stores and how some are forgotten.
• the first store is the sensory register which itself has the sensory stores, mainly iconic and echoic - lasts less than a sec -very little passes further into the system.
• STM …30…,maintenance rehearsal… LTM
• potentially permanent store ..unlimited..semantically coded..material wanted to remember is transferred back to STM in a retrieval process…rehearsal loop

Question 2

Multi store model AO3 +

Answer 2

Research support

• multiple research studies show STM and LTM are indeed qualitatively different
• baddeley found people tend to mix up similar words when using STM and simply meanings when using LTM.
• strength of this is that the study clearly shows STM is coded acoustically and LTM semantically showing they are different and supporting the MSM that the two stores are separate and independent.

Question 3

Multi store model AO3 -

Answer 3

However there is More than one type of STM

• MSM states that STM is a unitary store so only one type of STM but there is evidence disproving this.
• study of amnesiac patient KF showed that while is digit span for STM was poor when words were read aloud to him but his recall of words were better when he read it himself.
• shows there must be different stores for non verbal sounds
• this is a limitation of the MSM as there must be at least two separate stores for visual and auditory processing.

Question 4

The working memory model AO1

Answer 4

It is an explanation of how of STM is organised and functions.
Deals with the active part of the mind when temporarily storing information.
Consists of four main components which are all qualitatively different.

-Central executive monitors all incoming data and coordinates the activities of the three slave systems such as procedure resources. But it has a very limited processing capacity.
-phonological loop slave system that deals with auditory information and preserves the order infor came in. Phonological store and articulatory process.
-Visio-spatial SketchBook stores visual and spatial data.limited capacity of 3-4 objects. Visual cache and inner scribe
-episodic buffer brings together material from the others into a single memory gaining a sense of time.
It links the working memory to the LTM and wider cognitive processes e.g. Perception

Question 5

Working memory model AO3+

Answer 5

Clinical evidence - KF study.
Support comes from the study of amnesiac patient KF who suffered brain damage. Resulted in poor STM for verbal data but could process visual information normally shown visually.
-this shows that his phonological loop is damaged but his VSS is intact. This supports that the two stores are separate for visual and auditory information.

–however case studies are unreliable as the results cannot necessarily be replicated as each case is unique due to people and exact trauma suffered.

Question 6

Working memory model AO3 +

Answer 6

Dual task performance
This supports the separate existence of VSS and PL.
Baddeley showed that participants had difficulty doing two visual tasks than doing a visual and verbal task simultaneously. This is because both the visual tasks competes for the same slave system VSS but doing a visual and verbal task at the same time has no competition since they use the VSS and PL for the respective tasks.
- proves there must be separate slave systems to process visual and auditory information making it able to do two different types of tasks simultaneously.

Question 7

Interference theory AO1

Answer 7

At least some forgetting takes place as a result of interference which occurs when two pieces of information conflict with one another it results on forgetting one or both especially if they are similar.
Interference mainly explains how forgetting occurs in the LTM which must be due to not being able to access the information.
There are two types of interference, proactive which is when old memories interfere with new ones and retroactive which is when new memories interfere with old ones.

Question 8

Interference theory AO3 +

Answer 8

It is one of the most consistent findings in psychology as there are thousands of experiments shown supporting it. They show how proactive and retroactive interference are common ways information is forgotten.
This is a strength because these lab experiments control the effects of extraneous variables making it a valid explanation.

Question 9

Interference theory AO3-

Answer 9

However these lab studies tend to be unreliable as they are artificial tasks which are often a list of words. This is quite disappointing to things we have to remember in everyday life such as names, birthdays, faces etc.
This is a limitation as artificial tasks makes interference more likely in the lab than an everyday task in a real life situation. This means interference isn’t a likely explanation for forgetting in every day life as it is for in the lab.

Question 10

Retrieval failure AO1

Answer 10

An explanation for forgetting information due to insufficient cues to access the memory. When information is placed in a memory associated cues are stored at the same time, which if unavailable at time of recall may appear you have forgotten but is instead retrieval failure.

There are two types context dependent forgetting, external cues which shows recall is lower when the environment learned is different to where they recalled leading to retrieval failure as the external cues were different.
State dependent forgetting where recall was worse when the state of learning and recall were different as the internal cues are different leading to forgetting.