memory Flashcards
sensory register
our immediate memory of sensory information.
short-term memory
our initial memory store that is temporary and limited.
capacity
- seven units of information
duration
- 18 seconds without rehearsal
encoding
- acoustic
forgetting
- displacement
- decay
long-term memory
a memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to a lifetime.
capacity
- potentially limitless
duration
- a few minutes to a lifetime
encoding
- semantic
forgetting
- decay
- interference
- retrieval failure
duration
the length of time information can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.
capacity
the amount of information that can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.
encoding
turning sensory information into a form that can be used and stored by the brain.
rehearse
when we repeat information over and over to make it stick.
displacement
when the short-term memory becomes ‘full’ and new information pushes out older information.
interference
when new information overwrites older information, for example when a new phone number takes the place of an old phone number in your memory.
processing
the operations we perform on sensory information in the brain.
input
for human memory, this refers to the sensory information we receive from our environment.
output
for memory, this refers to the information we recall; in a broader sense, output can refer to behavioral response.
storage
the retention of information in our memory system.
acoustic encoding
the process of storing sound in our memory system.
visual encoding
the process of storing something that is seen in our memory system.
semantic encoding
the process of storing the meaning of information in our memory system, rather than the sound of a word, we store the definition/meaning of that word.
retrieval
the recall of stored memory.
amnesia
memory loss, often through accident, disease or injury.
anterograde amnesia
memory condition that means new long-term memories cannot be made; this is typically caused by injury to the brain.
retrograde amnesia
a memory condition that affects recall of memories prior to an injury to the brain.
peterson and peterson
investigated the duration of the short-term memory using trigrams and found it was about 18 seconds.
strengths
- standardised procedure
weaknesses
- lacks mundane realism; a realistic everyday task
war of the ghosts
story used by bartlett.
schema
a mental representation.
omission
leaving out unfamiliar, irrelevant or unpleasant details when remembering something.
transformation
when details are changed to make them more familiar and rational.
familiarisation
when unfamiliar details are changed to align with one’s own schema.
rationalisation
when details are added into our recall to give a reason for something that may not have originally fitted with a schema.
bartlett’s theory of reconstructive memory
contradicts the idea that memory is retrieved perfectly. it suggests that one’s memories are full of blanks and we use schemas to help remake the memory.
strengths
- real world practical application
- ecologically valid
weaknesses
- subjective
- not standardised
iconic memory
a sensory register for visual information.
echoic memory
a sensory register for auditory information.
modality free
a store in the msmm which is not linked to a specific type of sensory information.
modal specific
a store of the msmm which is linked specifically to a type of sensory information.
retrieval failure
when a memory is not lost but can’t be recalled. e.g. tip of the tongue moment.
decay
when a memory is forgotten over time.
digit span test
a test of stm capacity involving the recall of numbers.
multi-store model of memory
atkinson and shiffrin
- sensory register
- short-term memory
- long-term memory
strengths
- lots of evidence to support the theory
weaknesses
- oversimplified; does not contain other stores of long-term memory
primary
the tendency to recall words at the beginning of a list when asked to remember it.
recency
the tendency to recall words at the end of a list when asked to remember it.
serial reproduction
technique in which participants retell something to another participant to form a chain; this is how folk stories are passed down through cultures.
repeated reproduction
technique in which participants are asked to recall something again and again.
mundane realism
a realistic everyday task
reductionism
theory of explaining something according to its basic congruent parts.
laboratory experiments are used to be able to isolate variables to gather a conclusion
strengths
- simplistic explanation
- high in validity because lab experiments are used and there is control present
weaknesses
- over simplistic
causes us to ignore other factors that cause the behavior or interaction effects between multiple cause
- lacks ecological validity
holism
theory of explaining something as a whole.
qualitative methods are used to gain greater insight into the causes of the behavior.
strengths
- results of the study are rich in data.
- conclusion explains how multiple factors influence one another to change behavior.
weaknesses
- difficult to achieve a holistic approach as it requires investigation of lots of variables.
- regarded as unscientific because the explanation only applies to the particular individual.
reliable
outcome of the study is consistent.
attention
focus on certain sensory information.
