Memory Flashcards
Evidence for the WMM
1) Baddeley et al - Phonological loop
List of 5 short words&5 long words, had to recall words in order, more were recalled from shorter list
We rehearse words using our inner voice, this is limited by the time it takes to ‘say’ these words
2) Baddeley et al - visuospatial sketchpad
Condition A - task1 tracing moving spot of light with pointer task2 imagining capital letter and going to each corner stating if it’s too or bottom
Condition B - task1 tracking moving light with pointer task2 verbal task
- more errors in condition A where second task was visual processing then verbal, supports the idea that there is a separate system for storing and processing visual info
Describe the MSM
Sensory store-large, duration 0.25-2, encoding-echoing/inconic
STM-7+-2, 15-30s,acoustic
LTM-infinite, infinite, semantic
Evidence for MSM
HM - separate stores
Hippocampus removed to treat epilepsy, after surgery no more LTM could be formed, STM was intact and can remember up to 30s. HOWEVER if given a skill to learn e.g mirror drawing he could improve with practice- more then one form of LTM
KF - separate stores
Motorcycle incident left with brain damage, only remembers 3-4 bits of info, LTM in tact HOWEVER although his STM for sounds/words was 3-4 his capacity was normal 7+-2 when given shapes or images to remember, suggesting there are separate stores in the STM found sounds and images
One way to improve EWT
1) cognitive interview - Geiselman
Research supporting cognitive interview
1) Geiselman
Undergrad students watched a video of a crime then interviews using the standard police interview and cognitive. Cognitive remembered significantly more detail therefore questions were boosting retrieval cues
2) Fisher
Florida police detectives collecting more info from eyewitnesses after being trained in the cognitive interview techniques than before
:) simple&cost effective training, reduced costs of crimes to society as criminals more likely to be caught and prevented from reoffending
2 or more factors that affect reliability of EWT
1) Anxiety - loftus
2) Post event discussion
3) Information/leading questions - loftus&palmer
Effects of anxiety on EWT - loftus
Participants left in a waiting room outside a lab, waiting for ‘real’ study to start
1st situation- heated discussion followed by man holidaying a grease covered pen&hands
2nd situation- heated discussion followed by smashed glass&man with blood stained paper knife
49% correctly identified man with pen
33% correctly identified man with knife
Effects of information/leading questions on EWT - loftus and palmer
Shown a video of two cars colliding, some asked ‘smashed’ some asked ‘hit’
41mph smashed
34 mph hit
Effects of post event discussion on EWT - Gabbert et al
Video of a girl stealing a wallet, half saw her actually steal it, other half didn’t physically see her steal it. Both paired up and asked what they saw&if she was guilty
71% claimed they saw things they didn’t
- interview as soon as after an event
Effects of anxiety on the accuracy of EWT
1) Loftus
2) DOESNT SUPPORT - Christianson&Hubinette
Christianson&Hubinette
Questioned witnesses of 22 real bank robberies (110 witnesses) compared those who had been directly threatened (high anxiety) to those who had been standers by (lower anxiety)
1) directly threatened group had more accurate recall of robbers clothing, behaviour and weapon
2) superior recall of directly threatened group still present 15 months later
2 explanations for forgetting
1) interference theory
Proactive interference - old interferes with new
Retroactive interference - new interferes with old
2) retrieval cue failure
Info is in LTM but it enough cues to retrieve the info, need prompts to help
Evidence for interference theory
Baddeley & Hitch
Participants who had played a number of rugby union games had to remember as many teams they had played against as possible. Forgetting was more due to the number of games played than the time passed between games
:( only explains forgetting for 2 types of similar info
Evidence for retrieval cue failure
Godden & Baddeley 16 divers split into 4 groups Learned words A) on land B) on land C) underwater D) underwater Tested words A) on land B) underwater C) underwater D) on land Groups A&C had better recall as the place you learn things can act as a cue to help you remember
3 types of LTM
Episodic - personal events
Procedural - actions
Semantic - knowledge of the world
