Memory Flashcards
What is the coding of;
(i) STM
(ii) LTM
And who found it?
STM = acoustic, e.g. cat, cab
LTM = semantic, e.g. large, big
Baddeley (1966)
What’s an evaluative limitation of Baddeley’s (1966) work?
It used artificial material:
- no personal meaning, may use semantic for STM if meaningful –> generalise?
What is the capacity of the STM?
1) Jacob (1887):
- researcher recalls digits until they can’t be recalled correctly.
- = 9.3 numbers, 7.3 digits on average.
2) Miller (1956):
- span of 7+/-2 = improved by chunking
What’s an evaluative limitation of Jacob’s (1887) work?
Conducted a long time ago:
- early research lacked control of EVs, e.g. distraction.
- effects validity
What’s an evaluative limitation of Miller’s (1956) work?
Cowan (2001) concluded it was about 4 chunks, so lower end of 7+/-2 chunks.
What is the duration of the STM?
Petersen and Petersen (1959):
- 24 students given consonant syllables to remember and 3 digit number to count backwards from.
- = 80% after 3s, 3% after 18s
- = 18-30s
What’s an evaluative limitation of Petersen + Petersen (1959) work?
Used artificial stimuli:
- syllables don’t reflect real life memories.
- external validity, phone numbers?
What’s the duration of the LTM?
Bahrick et al. (1975):
- American participants ages 17-74 face recognition and free recall of high school photos.
- = 40 years after = 70% in photo recognition, free recall less accurate
What’s an evaluative positive of Bahrick et al. (1975) work?
External validity:
- real life meaningful memories.
- Shepard (1967) found recall was lower if pictures wer meaningless
- any CVs?
What are the 3 types of LTM?
1) Episodic memory
2) Semantic memory
3) Procedural memory
What is the episodic memory?
Events from our lives, e.g. breakfast this morning.
- remember WHEN they happened, involve several elements such as people, place, also a conscious effort is needed to recall them
What is the semantic memory?
Our knowledge of the world, e.g. taste of an orange.
- not time stamped, less personal –> knowledge based.
What is the procedural memory?
Our actions and skills, e.g. riding a bike.
- recall effortless or without awareness, but hard to explain
Give 2 evaluative strengths of different types of LTM
1) Supporting evidence for episodic memory:
- HM + Clive Wearing both had difficulty recalling past events; but semantic memory almost unaffected.
- = one damaged, another unaffected.
2) Brain scans show different stores:
- Tulving et al. (1994).
- participants performed various tasks whilst being scanned with a PET scanner.
- semantic in left prefrontal cortex, episodic in right.
Give 2 evaluative limitations of different types of LTM
1) Problems with clinical evidence:
- based off case studies about damage done to memory.
- cannot control variables like location of brain damage.
- generalise?
2) Actually only two types of LTM?
- Cohen + Squire (1980)
- episodic and semantic together in one store called ‘declarative memory’ as they are consciously recalled.
- procedural different, and non-declarative
- = what is exact difference?
Who made the Multi-Store model of memory?
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
How does stimuli pass into the sensory register, and what is the; - Duration - Capacity - Coding (of the SR)
Passes into SR using our senses.
D - less than 1/2s
Ca - high
Co - depends on sense
How does SR pass info on to STM?
By attention
What is the: - Duration - Capacity - Coding (of the STM)
D - 18-30s
Ca - 5-9 items
Co - acoustic
How does STM pass info on to LTM?
By maintenance rehearsal.
What is the: - Duration - Capacity - Coding (of the LTM)
D - up to a lifetime
Ca - up to a lifetime
Co - semantic
Give evaluative weakness of the MSM
1) Evidence suggesting more than one type of STM:
- Shallice + Warrington (1970)
- KF had amnesia, STM for digits was poor but when listening but better when he read them to himself.
- = one for auditory, one for visual?
2) MSM only explains one type of rehearsal:
- Craik + Watkins *1973) suggest there is;
(i) maintenance = already in MSM
(ii) elaborative = linking info. to existing knowledge
3) Research supporting MSM uses artificial stimuli:
- e.g. digits in Petersen+ Petersen’s (1959) study.
- memories about facts, places, people etc not random letters.
- MSM lacking external validity, lab only?
4) MSM oversimplifies LTM:
- evidence to suggest LTM is not just one store.
- facts of the world (semantic), riding a bike (procedural)
Who made the Working Memory Model?
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
What bridges the Central Executive and the LTM?
The Episodic buffer.
What does the Central Executive do?
Monitors data and allocates slave systems the relevant tasks; dependent on sense.
What comes under the Phonological Loop, and who do they do?
1) Articulatory Control System
= allows maintenance rehearsal to keep it in WM
2) Phonological store
= words you hear
What other slave system is there apart from the Phonological loop, and what does it do?
The Visuo-spatial sketchpad:
= stores visual and/or spatial info, such as how many windows are on a house.
Which case study supports the separate STM stores of the WMM?
Shallice + Warrington (1970) - KF had brain damage.
- Poor verbal ability but could process verbal info.
= phonological loop damaged; others intact.
- unique experiences however?
Apart from case studies, give 2 evaluative strengths of the WMM
1) Dual task performance studies support the VSS:
- Baddeley et al. (1975).
- found participants had difficulty performing two visual tasks than doing a visual and verbal task.
= both compete for same attention.
2) Support from brain scanning studies:
- Braver et al. (1997).
- participants did tasks involving the CE while being scanned.
- = found prefrontal cortex worked harder as the task harder –> physical location?
Give an evaluative criticism of the WMM
Lack of clarity over CE:
- doesn’t really explain anything.
- more than simply just paying attention
- separate components?
What is the definition of forgetting?
The inability to get access to memories in the LTM even though they’re available.