memory exam question the lot of them Flashcards
Outline retroactive interference as an explanation for forgetting.
Interference is when memory are similar so therefore causes confusing in the coding
retroactive interference is where a newer memory disrupts an older memory: the older information is forgotten
* retroactive interference is where two lots of information become confused/mixed up in memory
* retroactive interference is greater when the two lots of information are similar
* retroactive interference is less likely to occur when there is a gap between the instances of learning.
Two types of long-term memory are procedural memory and episodic memory.
Explain two differences between procedural memory and episodic memory.
procedural memories are memories of motor skills/actions/muscle memories; episodic memories are memories of life events
*procedural memories are unavailable for conscious inspection/difficult to explain verbally (non-declarative); episodic memories can be expressed verbally (declarative)
*procedural memories may be more resistant to forgetting/amnesia
*each type of memory may reside in a different area of the brain
Memory studies are sometimes criticised for being unrealistic. Briefly explain two ways that this criticism could be addressed in memory research.
Researchers could use environments that are natural for participants such as school classrooms when learning and recalling information
*Researchers could ensure that the task are everyday tasks for their participants, such as learning definitions if they are student participants
*Realistic stimuli can be used to recall information such as visual tasks so that they more closely reflect everyday memory tasks
A researcher investigated the working memory model using a laboratory experiment. Forty students from a local college volunteered to take part.
In Condition A, 20 students performed the following two tasks at the same time:
* mentally counting backwards from 100
* tracking coloured shapes on a computer screen.
In Condition B, 20 different students performed the following two tasks at the same time:
* mentally counting backwards from 100
* reading a poem out loud.
The researcher predicted that the performance of students in Condition A would be better than the performance of students in Condition B.
Briefly explain two ways in which the working memory experiment described above could be improved.
improving the sample / sampling method / target population – details of alternative method, e.g. stratified
* changing the design – use of an alternative design (repeated measures, matched pairs) and brief details of how this would be implemented
* changing the nature of the tasks – suggestions for tasks that are more reflective of real-life behaviour, e.g. reading e-mails whilst talking on the phone, etc
* changing the type of experiment – suggestions for alternative, e.g. field study – carry out the research in a more natural setting, e.g. an office environment or a classroom
* participants should be randomly allocated to each experimental condition; brief explanation of how this would be done.
The working model of memory
a model of STM which sees this store as non-unitary and an active processor
* description of central executive and ‘slave systems’ – visuo-spatial scratch/sketch pad; phonological store/loop; articulatory loop/control process; phonological store; episodic buffer (versions vary – not all of slave systems need to be present for full marks)
* information concerning capacity and coding of each store
* allocation of resources/divided attention/dual-task performance.
Explain the benefit of using randomisation to produce the word lists for this study.
eliminates investigator effect/bias − one word list could not be made to be easier or harder than the other when the lists are constructed
* this is because the investigator has no control/choice over which words appear on which list.
The 50 words used to make Word list A and Word list B were not standardised in any way.
Explain how the words that were used to make the two lists should be matched in order to improve the study.
words would be chosen/matched as having equal/same level of difficulty as each other (accept examples such as same number of syllables/letters/type of word)
* each word in list A should have a comparable/matched word in list B
Kai and Neri were discussing a report of an armed robbery in the newspaper.
Kai: “I think all the witnesses would have trouble recalling what they had seen as the robbers were really dangerous.”
Neri: “I’m not so sure. When I had a car accident I was in danger, but I was able to give lots of detail.”
Discuss what research has shown about the effects of anxiety on eye-witness testimony. Refer to the conversation above in your answer.
students might refer to the Yerkes-Dodson law which suggests moderate anxiety is associated with better recall than very high or very low anxiety
* in Johnson & Scott (1976) weapon focus experiment more participants correctly identified a person when they were holding a pen (49%) than when they were holding a knife covered in blood (33%)
* Loftus and Burns (1982) found participants who saw a violent version of a crime where a boy was shot in the face had impaired recall for events leading up to the incident
* however, in a real-life study Yuille and Cutshall (1986) found witnesses who had been most distressed at the time of a shooting gave the most accurate account five months later. Also, Christianson and Hubinette (1993) found victims of genuine bank robberies were more accurate in their recall than bystanders.
Accept other relevant content where the anxiety component is clear.
Possible application:
* Kai’s comment may be linked to research that shows anxiety reduces accuracy, eg Loftus (1979)
* Neri’s comment may be linked to research that anxiety improves accuracy, eg Yuille and Cutshall (1986) or Christianson and Hubinette (1993)
* the different comments may both be linked to the Yerkes-Dodson curve.
Accept other relevant application.
Identify and outline two techniques that may be used in a cognitive interview.
reinstating the context – interviewee mentally reinstates the environmental and personal context of the incident, eg sights, sounds, weather etc
*report everything – interviewer encourages the reporting of every single detail of the event, even though it may seem irrelevant
*changing order – interviewer tries alternative ways through the timeline of the incident
*changing perspective – interviewee recalls from different perspectives, eg how it would have appeared to other witnesses.
