Memory: Coding, Capacity and Duration of Memory

Question 1

Coding =

Answer 1

How is the information is stored

Question 2

Capacity =

Answer 2

How much information can be stored

Question 3

Duration =

Answer 3

How long the information can be stored

Question 4

Short term memory has…

Answer 4

Coding: Acoustic
Capacity: 5 - 9 items
Duration: 18 - 30 seconds

Question 5

Long term memory has…

Answer 5

Coding: Semantic
Capacity: Unlimited
Duration: Unlimited

Question 6

Outline research into coding of STM

Answer 6

Baddeley.
List of words to remember, asked to recall immediately
Acoustically similar harder to recall than acoustically dissimilar

Question 7

Outline research into coding of LTM

Answer 7

Baddeley.
List of works to remember
Semantically similar harder to recall than semantically dissimilar

Question 8

Outline research into Duration of STM

Answer 8

Peterson and Peterson
Pps given trigram (LMW)
Had to count backwards to threes to prevent rehearsal
Asked to recall trigram after 3,6,9,12,15,18 seconds ect.
Got much lower by 18 seconds

Question 9

Outline research into Duration of LTM

Answer 9

Bahrick. Year book 70, 90, 30, 60
pps 15 years compared to 48 years post grad
Free recall: 60% vs 30%
Photo-recognition: 90% vs 70%

Question 10

Outline research into capacity of STM

Answer 10

Jacobs. Digit span
Asked to recall 4 digits, then 5, then 6 etc
Items: 9.3
Letters: 7.3

Miller. Chunking
found things come in 7
also found people could recall 5 words as well as 5 letters

Question 11

Evaluate Research into Coding, Capacity and Duration of memory

Answer 11

• Artificial stimuli (numbers)
  + Realistic stimuli (year book)
• Lack of control in old studies (Jacob)
• Not so many chunks (Cowan found 4)