Memory

Question 1

Types of LTM (Tulving 1972)

Answer 1

Episodic- (conscious and declarative) storing info about events that we have experienced in our lives.

Semantic- (conscious and declarative) general knowledge and knowledge about the meaning of words.

Procedural- (unconscious and not declarative) just knowing how to do things.

Question 2

Who invented the multi store model of memory?

Answer 2

Atkinson and Shiffrin

Question 3

MSM has three stores- what are they?

Answer 3

Sensory register, short term memory and long term memory. Info passes from store to store in a linear way.

Question 4

The steps of the MSM processing information.

Answer 4

Sensory information is collected by your ears, nose and mouth and this occurs when a stimulus is in the environment. This is then converted into STM. If info is repeated and rehearsed then it is converted into LTM.

If maintenance rehearsal doesn’t occur then the info will be lost from STM through displacement or decay.

Question 5

What are the features of each store within the MSM?

Answer 5

Coding

Capacity

Duration

Question 6

What is coding?

Answer 6

The way info is changed so it can be stored in the memory- visual, acoustically, semantically (meaning).

Question 7

What is capacity?

Answer 7

How much information can be stored- STM capacity averages around 7 (plus or minus two) items. (Miller 1956)

Question 8

What is duration?

Answer 8

Period of time information can last in the stores- duration is anything greater than 30 seconds – STM’s maximum duration appears to be unlimited.

Question 9

Who invented the Working Memory Model?

Answer 9

Baddeley and Hitch (1974) because they proposed that the MSM was far too simple.

Question 10

What is the working memory model?

Answer 10

It is a short term memory store, although there are 3 different systems for different types of information.

Question 11

The 4 main systems in the WMM?

Answer 11

Central Executive, Visuospatial Sketchpad, Phonological Loop and Episodic Buffer.

Question 12

What does the central executive do in the WMM?

Answer 12

Drives the whole system by allocating data to the subsystems. It deals with cognise tasks such as mental arithmetic and problem solving.

Question 13

What does the visiospatial sketchpad do in the WMM?

Answer 13

Stores and processes information in a visual form. Used for navigation.

Question 14

What does the phonological loop do in the WMM?

Answer 14

Deals with spoken and written information, has two parts- the phonological store and the articulatory control process.
The phonological store hold info in a speech based form for 1-2 secs
The articulatory control process rehearses and stores info from the phonological store.

Question 15

What are the explanations for forgetting?

Answer 15

Proactive interference and retroactive interference.

Retrieval failure due to absence of cues.

Question 16

What does the Episodic Buffer do in the WMM?

Answer 16

Retrieves info from LTM and integrates info from all areas.

Question 17

What is proactive interference?

Answer 17

Old info prevents the recall of new info.

Question 18

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 18

New info prevents the recall of old info

Question 19

What is retrieval failure due to the absence of cues?

Answer 19

Can be called cue dependant forgetting- which is state dependant or context dependant forgetting.

Question 20

Examples of state dependant forgetting

Answer 20

If a person is drunk they may not recall memory from a night.

Question 21

Examples of context dependant forgetting

Answer 21

Being in an unfamiliar location e.g. losing money in a new location will be harder to retrace.

Question 22

Which factors affect eye witness testimony?

Answer 22

Misleading information-

leading questions, post event discussion, anxiety.

Question 23

Improving the accuracy of eye witness testimony how is this done?

Answer 23

Use of the cognitive interview

Question 24

What are the main techniques in a cognitive interview?

Answer 24

1- report everything
2-reinstate the context
3- reverse the order
4- change perspective

Question 25

Evaluation of the cognitive interview- strengths.

Answer 25

Kohnken et al- meta analysis done, combine data from 50 studies showed the CI was more effective than the standard police interview.
The result show that it gives police a higher chance of catching/charging criminals.

Question 26

Evaluation of the cognitive interview- limitations.

Answer 26

Time consuming

Milne and Bull found that some elements of it are better than others. (Report everything and context reinstatement) can be used alone rather than the whole thing. Each individual element is equally valuable.

Question 27

What are factors affecting eye witness testimony?

Answer 27

Misleading information, leading questions, post event discussion and anxiety.

Question 28

Why do leading questions affect EWT?

Answer 28

The wording influences how they decide to answer.

E.G. loftus and palmer- using the word ‘smashed’ encourages them to use a higher speed estimate.

Question 29

Why does post event discussion affect EWT?

Answer 29

Gabbert found that 71% mistakenly recalled aspects of the crime that they had picked up on in discussion afterwards. Witnesses often go along with each other because of normative and informational social influence.

Question 30

Give extra evaluation for EWT factors.

Answer 30

Zaragoza and McCloskey argue that many answers that are given in lab studies are the result of demand characteristics. (Don’t want to let researcher down/want to be helpful).

Question 31

Research that supports anxiety having a negative or positive effect on recall?

Answer 31

Positive effect- body has fight or flight response which increases alertness and importers memory for recall. (Yuille and Cutshall)

Negative effect- physiological arousal occurs which prevents us paying attention to cues which are important for recall. (Johnson and Scott)

Question 32

Evaluation for anxiety factor affecting eyewitness testimony?

Answer 32

Field studies can lack control.

There are ethical issues like psychological harm.

Weapon focus effcect may be irrelevant- may be due to unusualness rather than threat/anxiety.