Memory: Coding Capacity And Duration Of Memory

Question 1

Which psychologist conducted research into ‘coding’

Answer 1

Baddeley

Question 2

Outline Baddeleys study into the coding of memory

Answer 2

• acoustically similar, acoustically dissimilar, semantically similar, semantically dissimilar
• ppts asked to recall a list of words in the correct order
• if recalled immediately after (STM) - ppts worse with acoustically similar
• 20 mins later (LTM) ppts worse with semantically similar

Question 3

What does Baddeley’s research on coding of memory suggest

Answer 3

Information is coded semantically in the LTM

Question 4

Outline one limitation of baddeleys study on the coding of memory

Answer 4

• Artificial stimuli
• Word lists had no meaning to ppts
• So not necessarily generalisable
• When processing more meaningful info people may use semantic coding even for STM tasks

Question 5

What two psychologists conducted research on the capacity of memory

Answer 5

• Jacobs - digit span
• Miller - span of memory and Chunking

Question 6

Outline Jacobs research on digit span

Answer 6

• Researcher gives 4 digits + ppt have to recall these in the correct order
• If correct, researchers, give 5 digits etc
• This is done until ppts cannot record digits correctly = their digit span
• mean digit span - 9.3 items
• mean letter span - 7.3 items

Question 7

Outline millers research into ‘span of memory and chunking’

Answer 7

• noted things come in 7’s - weeks, deadly sins etc
• suggests span/capacity of STM = 7 items (+/-2)
• miller also noted, people can recall 5 words as well as they can recall 5 letters - this is done by chunking

Question 8

What is one limitation of jacobs study into digit span

Answer 8

• lacks validity
• long time ago, when psychology often lacked control of confounding variables
• some pots may have been distracted when being tested

Question 9

Outline one limitation of millers research into chunking

Answer 9

• may have overestimated capacity of STM
• Cowan - reviewed research and found capacity of STM was around 4 chunks

Question 10

What two researchers conducted studies on the duration of memory

Answer 10

Peterson and Peterson - duration of STM
Bahrick et al - duration of LTM

Question 11

Outline Peterson + Peterson study on the duration of STM

Answer 11

• 24 undergraduate students in 8 trials
• on each trial, student given a consonant syllable (trigram) and a 3 digit number
• students had to count backwards from number until told to stop to prevent mental rehearsal
• Told to stop at a different time on each trial - this is known as retention interval
• found STM had a very short duration

Question 12

Outline Bahrick et als study on the duration of LTM

Answer 12

• studied 392 ppts from Ohio (17-74)
• high school yearbooks obtained
• recall tested 2 ways: photo recognition (from 50 photos) and free recall (ppts recalled names)

Question 13

Outline the results of Bahrick et als study on the duration of LTM

Answer 13

• ppts tested within 15 yrs of graduation = 90% accurate in photo recognition and 60% accurate in free recall
• after 48 yrs = recall declined to 70% for photo recognition
• shows LTM can last a very long time indeed

Question 14

Outline a limitation of Peterson + Peterson study into the duration of memory

Answer 14

• meaningless stimuli
• memorising consonant syllables is not reflective of real life STM recall tasks
• so this study may lack external validity

Question 15

Outline a strength of Bahrick et als study into the duration of LTM

Answer 15

• higher external validity
  -real life meaningful memories were studied
• when studies on LTM have been conducted on meaningless stimuli, recall rates much lower (shepherd)
• however,confounding variables are not controlled, I.e. ppts may look at yearbook every day