Memory Flashcards
What are the different stores in STM and LTM?
- Coding.
- Capacity.
- Duration.
What is the coding of STM and LTM?
Baddeley (1966)=
- STM = acoustically dissimilar are easier to remember (pit, few) - words that sound dissimilar.
- LTM = semantically dissimilar are easier to remember (good, hot) - words that have dissimilar meanings.
What is the capacity of STM and LTM?
Miller (1956) =
- STM (7+/-2 items) = he noted things come in 7’s.
- LTM = unlimited.
What is chunking?
Miller = span of STM can be improved by chunking =
- Grouping sets of digits/letters to make meaningful units.
What is the duration of STM?
Peterson + Peterson (1959) =
- 18 seconds = 24 students given consonant syllables (YGC) and 3-digit numbers to count backwards from for 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 + 18 seconds.
- Average recall for 18 seconds was about 3% - STM without rehearsal is no more than 18 seconds.
What is the duration of LTM?
Bahrick et al. (1975) =
- At least 48 seconds = participants asked if they recognise pictures from school yearbook (recognition test) and to list people from class (free recall test).
- Participants tested 48 years after graduation were about 70% accurate in photo recall but worse in free recall.
Summarise coding, capacity and duration of STM and LTM.
1) STM
- capacity = 7+/-2 items (Miller).
- coding = acoustic (Baddeley).
- duration = 18 seconds (Peterson + Peterson).
2) LTM =
- capacity = infinite.
- coding = semantic (Baddeley).
- duration = at least 48 years (Bahrick).
Evaluate Baddeley’s study into coding?
- Used artificial material =
Words used weren’t meaningful to participants, but if they were, semantic coding may have been used for STM.
Limited application = can’t generalise findings.
What is a limitation of Miller’s study into the capacity of STM?
Cowan (2001) = reviewed other research and concluded that capacity was only about 4 chunks –> lower end of Miller’s estimate is more accurate.
- Show Miller may have overestimated the capacity of STM.
What is a limitation of Peter + Peterson’s study into the duration of STM?
Trying to remember meaningless consonant syllables doesn’t reflect real-life (lacking external validity).
- However, phone numbers are quite meaningless.
What is a strength of Baddeley’s study into the duration of LTM?
- High external validity = real-life meaningful memories (e.g. peoples faces).
Recall with meaningless pictures was lower (Shephard 1967).
What are the 2 theoretical models of memory?
1) . Multi-store model (MSM).
2) . Working memory model (WMM).
Who developed the MSM?
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968).
What is the order of the stores in the MSM?
Stimuli –> Sensory register –> STM –> LTM.
How many stores are there in the sensory register?
5 = for each sense.
What is the duration, capacity and coding of the sensory register?
1) . Duration = less than 1/2 second.
2) . Capacity = high (over 100 million cells in one eye).
3) . Coding = depends on the sense.
How does information transfer from the sensory register to STM?
Needs attention = not everything in the SR passes into STM.
What is the duration, capacity and coding of STM?
1) . Duration = 18-30 seconds.
2) . Capacity = 5-9 items before some forgetting occurs.
3) . Coding = acoustic.
How is information transferred from STM to LTM?
Maintenance rehearsal =
- Going over material for long enough will pass it into LTM.
- Leads to prolonged rehearsal.
What is the duration, capacity and coding of LTM?
1) . Duration = potentially up to a lifetime.
2) . Capacity = potentially unlimited.
3) . Coding = semantic (tend to be in terms of meaning).
How is information transferred from LTM to STM?
Retrieval =
- Have to think about it again.
What are the evaluations of the MSM?
:) Research support.
:( Evidence suggests there are more than one types of STM.
:( It only explains one type of rehearsal.
:( Research studies supporting MSM use artificial materials.
:( MSM oversimplifies LTM.
What research supports the MSM?
Baddeley (1966) = found we mix up words that SOUND SIMILAR in STM and words that have SIMILAR MEANINGS in LTM.
- Supports acoustic (STM) and semantic (LTM) coding, and that the stores are separate.
What evidence suggests there is more than one type of STM?
Shallow and Warrington (1970) studied KF = had amnesia –> his STM for digits was poor when listening, but better when he read them himself.
- This suggests a store for visual and auditory –> WMM is a better explanation.