memory Flashcards
who invented the multi-store memory model
Atkinson and shiffrin
describe the process MSMM
information passes from store to store in a linear process
information is transferred from STM to LTM if that info is rehearsed. if info is not rehearsed then the info is forgotten then it is lost from STM through displacement or decay.
define maintenance rehearsal
rehearsing information, if not it is lost
what is the capacity, duration and encoding of the aspects of the MSMM
sensory- 30 seconds, all sensory, sense specific
STM- 18-30 seconds, 7 +/- 2 items, mainly auditory
LTM- unlimited, unlimited, mainly semantic
give 2 strengths and 2 weakness if MSMM
S- HM lost his memory on an operation table, he lost LTM of personal and public events (death of mum’dad or Vietnam war) however STM remained intact
S- clive wearing contracted herpes, he could not make new memories but still remembered how to play the piano. his STM was affected but not his LTM. supporting that they’re separate stores
W- the model is oversimplified, in particular the way it suggests that both STM and LTM operate in a single, uniformed fashion
W- rehearsal is considered a too simple explanation to account for the transfer of info from STM to LTM. the model ignores motivation, effect and stratergy
what are the types of LTM, give a strength
procedural memory- responsible for knowing how to do things. it is entirely unconscious
semantic memory- responsible for storing info about the world, this includes knowledge on the meaning of words and general knowledge
episodic memory- responsible for storing info about events that we have experienced during our lives. it involves conscious thoughts.
amnesia Ps have great difficulty in retaining episodic and semantic memory following the onset of amnesia. however their procedural memory appears to be largely unaffected
describe inference as a explanation for forgetting
proactive interference- (pro=forward)- what we lready know interferes with what were currently learning. old memories disrupt new memories
retroactive interference- (retro=backwards)- occurs when you forget a previously learnt task due to the learning of a new task. new memories disrupt old memories
according to retrieval failure due to absence of cues, when is memory best
memory will be best when a persons physical or psychological state is similar at encoding and retrieval
who investigated encoding specific principle, describe his findings
tulving et al reviewed research into retrieval failure and discovered a consistent pattern. ESP states that if a cue is to help us to recall info, it had to be present at encoding and retrieval. if the cues available are different there will be some forgetting
describe the investigation into state dependent regarding retrieval failure and absence of cues
goodwin et al investigated the affect of alcohol on state dependent retrieval. he found that when people encoded info when drunk, they were more likely to recall it when in the same state.
48 medical students were tested, group 1 sober both days, group 2 intoxicated both days, group 3 intoxicated day 1 and sober day 2, group 4 sober day 1 and intoxicated day 2
findings- more errors were made on day 2 by group 3 and 4 then group 1 and 2
describe the investigation into cue dependent regarding retrieval failure and absence of cues
godden and baddely. 18 divers were asked to learn a list of 36 unrelated words. there were 4 conditions, learn on the beach and recall on beach, learn on beach and recall under water, learn in water and recall under water, learn in water and recall on beach.
findings- Ps recalled more words when they learnt and recalled the words in the same environment. the context acted as a cue
who invented the working memory model and descibe
baddeley and hitch
input
sensory memory
central executive/phonological loop/visuo-spatial sketch pad
STM
describe the visuo-spatial sketch pad and the different components
it stores and processes info in a visual or spatial form.
the visual cache- which store visual data about form and colour (inner eye)
the inner scribe- which records the arrangement of objects in the visual field, and rehearses and transfers information in the visual cache to the central executive).
describe the phonological loop and the different components
deals with spoken and written material
phonological store- is linked to speech perception. holds info in speech-based form for 1-2 secs (inner ear)
articulatory control- linked to speech production, used to rehearse and store verbal info (inner voice)
describe the central executive
drives the whole system and allocates data to the subsystems. it also deals with cognitive tasks, such as mental arithmetic and problem solving
describe the episodic buffer
The third slave system is the episodic buffer which acts as a ‘backup’ (temporary) store for information which communicates with both long term memory and the slave system components of working memory
what are the 3 slave systems in the working memory model
visuo-spatial scratch pad
episodic buffer
phonological loop
evaluate the working memory model, 3 S and 2 W
s- it replaced the idea of a unitary STM as suggested by MSMM
S- it makes sense of a range of tasks, verbal reasoning, problem solving, reading and visual processing
S- KF suffered brain damage from a motor cycle accident. he damaged his STM for verbal information but his visual info was largely unaffected. thereby supporting VSS and phonological loop being different stores
W- there is little evidence for how the central executive works and waht is does. the capacity had never been measured.
W- only involves STM
What does encoding, capacity and duration mean
encoding- the way info is changed so it can be stored in memory; visal, acoustic and semantic
capacity- concerns how much info can be stores
duration- refers to the period of times info can last in the memory store
what are the 4 factors affecting eyewitness testimony
anxiety, schema, leading question and post evident discussion
how does anxiety affect eyewitness testimony and describe the 2 studies related to this
when we are anxious we tend to focus on whats making us feel anxious; we exclude other information.
YORKES DODSON LAW- as anxiety increases so does memory but only until a certain point, once stress goes past the optimum point then memory performance decreases
LOFTUS WEAPON EFFECT- a man holding a pen and a man holding a knife ran out infront of Ps. the Ps could remember facial features of the man holding the pen, however could only remember the weapon of the man holding the knife
how does schema affect eye witness testimony
can affect EWT as it may be used to ‘fill in’ information that the witness cannot recall accurately. this may mean that they include details that never actually happened but were instead extracted from the schema
how does leading question affect eye witness testimony including study
the response bias explanation suggests that the wording of the question has an influence on how we decide to answer
LOFTUS AND PALMER conducted a study in which the word of a leading question was changed. the ps watched a video of a car crash and then were asked to describe it. Ps whos leading question included the verb ‘smashed’ the Ps were more likely to report seeing broken glass than those who heard ‘hit’. the critial verb altered their memory of the accident
how does post evident discussion affect eye witness testimony including study
youre more likely to be influences if you discuss the evident before hand
gabbert, PS watched a video of a girl stealing money from a wallet. The Ps were either tested individually (control group) or in pairs (co-witness group). The ps in the co-witness group were told that they had watched the same video, however they had in fact seen different perspectives of the same crime and only one person had actually witnessed the girl stealing.Ps in the co-witness group discussed the crime together. All of the ps then completed a questionnaire, testing their memory of the event.
Gabbert et al. found that 71% of the witnesses in the co-witness group recalled information they had not actually seen and 60% said that the girl was guilty, despite the fact they had not seen her commit a crime.
