Memory (definitions) Flashcards
Memory
Encoding, storage and retrieval
Coding
Changing sensory input into a form or code to be processed by the memory system
Capacity
How much can be stored in your memory at one point in time
Duration
How long something can be stored in your memory for
Coding of STM
Mainly acoustic
Coding of LTM
Semantically
Capacity of STM
Up to 9 items
Capacity of LTM
Unlimited
Duration of STM
30 seconds
Duration of LTM
> 30 seconds
Episodic memory
Memory for events, time-stamped, declarative e.g. a party last weekend
Semantic memory
Memory for facts, ‘knowing that’, declarative e.g. the Eiffel town is in Paris
Procedural memory
Memory for actions, ‘knowing how’, non-declarative e.g. how to ride a bike
Declarative memory
Memories that are consciously recalled
Central executive
Monitors incoming data and allocates it to the appropriate slave system
Phonological loop
Deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which it arrives
Phonological store
Stores auditory information
Articulatory process
Allows maintenance rehearsal of auditory information. Can store up to 2 seconds of what you can say.
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
Stores visual and spatial information
Visual cache
Stores visual information
Inner scribe
Stores the arrangement of objects in a visual field
Episodic buffer
A temporary store for visual, spatial and auditory information processed by other stores. Links working memory to LTM and wider cognitive processes.
Iconic memory
Information is coded visually (EYEconic)
Echoic memory
Information is coded acoustically
Sensory register
The memory stores for each of our five senses, huge capacity but tiny duration
Maintenance rehearsal
Recalling a memory multiple times to keep it in the STM
Retroactive interference
Occurs when a newer memory makes you forget (interferes with) an older memory
Proactive interference
Occurs when an older memory makes you forget (interferes with) a newer memory
Context-dependent forgetting
When a change in external cues affects your memory retrieval ability
State-dependent forgetting
When a change in internal cues affects your memory retrieval ability
Retrieval failure
A form of forgetting which occurs when we don’t have the cues necessary to access the memory. The memory is available but inaccessible.
Eyewitness testimony (EWT)
The ability of a person to recall the events of an incident/crime which they themselves observed
Leading questions
A question which, due to the way it is phrased, prompts a certain answer
Misleading information
Incorrect information given to an eyewitness usually after the event has taken place
Post-event discussion (PED)
When a witness of a crime discusses the event with another person (other witnesses/friends/family/police). This can change the witness’s memory of the crime.
Response-bias explanation
Suggests that the wording of a leading question affects the way a person chooses the answer the question
Substitution explanation
Suggests that the wording of a leading question directly changes a person’s memory
The cognitive interview (CI)
An interview technique based on psychological insight into memory, which aims to elicit more accurate memory recal from witnesses
The enhanced cognitive interview (ECI)
The cognitive interview PLUS emphasis on building a rapport between the investigator and witness and avoiding unnecessary questions
Elaborative rehearsal
Linking new information to our existing knowledge to keep it in the long-term memory
Cue
A ‘trigger’ of information that allows us to access memories
Anxiety
A state of physical and emotional arousal which affects EWT
Encoding specificity principle
For a cue to help us to remember something it has to be present at both encoding and retrieval
‘Report everything’
The witness should report every single detail of the event, even those which seem trivial
‘Reinstate the context’
The witness should recall the context surrounding the crime, e.g. the weather, the news of the day, why they were where they were
‘Reverse the order’
The witness should recall the event in a different chronological order from that which it occurred to prevent them from recalling expectations of how the event probably occurred rather than how it actually did
‘Change perspective’
The witness should recall the crime from someone else’s perspective to reduce the effect of schema
Word length effect
It is more difficult to recall lists of long words because their is finite space for recall in the articulatory process
