Memory Flashcards
What did Jacobs (1887) find about capacity? 2 things
Average digit span = 9.3
Average letter span = 7.3
What did Miller (1956) find about capacity?
Research concluded that the span of immediate memory is about 7 +/- 2 items.
Around 7 chunks, either words or letters
Criticism for Miller’s study.
- Miller’s findings have not been replicated.
- Capacity may be even more limited Cowan (2001) research STM likely to be limited to 4 chunks
Size of chunk matters, evaluation Simon (1974) refines our capacity
-People had a shorter memory span for larger chunks, such as 8 word phrases rather than short chunks like 1 syllable.
Capacity coming down to individual differences. Digit span increased with age suggested by Jacobs
8 year olds how many digits?
19 year olds?
6.6
8.6
Increases might be due to changes in brain capacity.
What did Peterson and Peterson (1959) do research into?
Duration of STM
What did Bahrick (1975) do research into?
Duration of LTM.
What did Peterson and Peterson do?
Ppts learned a series of nonsense triagrams. Learning and recall all within 30 seconds. Some ppts did straight recall some did a timed delay of (3-18) seconds and had to count backwards in 3’s for a changing number before recall.
What did Peterson and Peterson find?
Straight recall = 90% correct recall
Recall through 18 sec delay = 2% recall
Concluded STM lasts 18 secs if verbal rehearsal is prevented.
Describe what Bahrick (1975) did?
Remember he did duration into LTM
400 ppts.
Asked ppts to name classmates from their last class at school (over 48 years ago).
2 groups, 1 had a yearbook and 1 did not.
What did Bahrick find?
ppts with Yearbook on average 70% correct for photo recognition. ppts without (control) on average 15% correct.
What are 2 criticisms for P+Ps study into STM duration?
- The testing for STM, lacked ecological validity because remembering consonant syllables does not truly reflect everyday life.
- STM results may be due to displacement because the numbers may have displaced the syllables.
What did Baddeley do research into in 1966?
Coding LTM.
Describe what Baddeley did in 1966 into coding?
ppts were given acoustically similar or acoustically dissimilar words in a list. Some were given semantically similar/dissimilar.
Used a 20 min delay to try to remove STM.
Who proposed the multi-store model of memory and what year?
Atkinson + Shiffrin (1968)
What is the sensory register in MSM?
Information held at the senses, eg: ears, nose.
What is maintenance rehearsal?
Repetition of information will help prolong information in STM and will help it develop into LTM
What is retrieval in the MSM?
Process of getting info from LTM involves info passing through STM
What are all of the stages in order for the MSM? (6)
For information to be found what then needs to happen at the end. (1)
- An environmental stimuli
- Goes to your sensory memory
- Person’s attention focuses on it
- Tf info into STM
- Maintenance rehearsal has to take place
- Transfers into LTM
-Retrieval
What are all of the stages in order for the MSM? (6)
For information to be found what then needs to happen at the end. (1)
- An environmental stimuli
- Goes to your sensory memory
- Person’s attention focuses on it
- Tf info into STM
- Maintenance rehearsal has to take place
- Transfers into LTM
-Retrieval
What are two strengths of the MSM?
- Lab studies support capacity, duration and coding and ideas with separate stores.
- Beardsley found Pre frontal cortex active during STM but not LTM, Tf must be 2 separate stores.
What are two weaknesses of the MSM?
- Too simple, suggests STM and LTM are 2 unitary stores which you cannot go in and out of. Research does not support this.
- LTM must involve more than just maintenance rehearsal
Who proposed the Working Memory Model and what year?
Baddeley (1974)
What is the central executive?
Focus attention on important tasks. Monitors and coordinates all other mental functions in WM.
Controller of slave systems
What is the phonological loop?
Deals with auditory information + preserves order of information.
What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad split into?
Visual
Split into:
-Visuo cache = colour of things
-Visual scribe = Where things are.
What is the episodic buffer?
Integrates information from central executive, phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad. General storage for both acousic and visual information.
What is a limitation of the central executive? (Not an evaluation point!)
Central executive has no storage capacity that’s why Baddeley came up with the episodic buffer.
What are all of the stages for the WMM? (4)
All of these stages are flexible!!
- Central executive
- Receives input from visuo-spatial sketchpad or phonological loop
- Transfers back to central and moves for temporary storage in episodic buffer.
- Then moves to your long term memory
What are two strengths of the WMM?
- Active stores unlike very static MSM, presents memory as being conscious. (Flexible)
- Increase from 1 modality to 2 compared to MSM
- Supported by research about the dual tasks.
- Case studies on brain damage have been conducted that show that the short term memory and LTM are separate - also been individuals where their phonological loop has been affected but their spatial awareness is still intact.
What are two weaknesses of the WMM?
- Central executive is theoretical (little research made)
- Only 2 modalities a counter argument.. could be more.
- Limited capacity duration and focus..
- only based on STM