Memory- MSM Flashcards
What are the stores in the MSM?
Sensory register, short-term memory, long-term memory
What are the features of each store in the MSM?
Coding, capacity and duration
Describe what is meant by coding (2 marks)
-This is how we process information – changing it to a suitable form so that it can be stored
-e.g the STM code acoustically
Describe what is meant by capacity (2)
- this is the amount of information that can be held in memory
-e.g the capacity of the STM is 5 to 9 items
Describe what is meant by duration (2)
-this is how long the information last in the memory
-e.g information last 18 to 30 seconds in the STM
How does sensory register code?
Modality specific
What is the capacity of the sensory register?
Unlimited
What is the duration of the sensory register?
Limited (less than 0.5 seconds)
How does the STM code?
Acoustically
What is the capacity of the STM?
7+/-2 items
What is the duration of STM?
Limited, 18 to 30 seconds
How does the LTM code?
Semantically
What is the capacity of the LTM?
Unlimited
What is the duration of the LTM?
Potentially a lifetime
Who conducted the research study into coding of the STM and summarise what they did
-Baddeley
-STM codes acoustically as there was better recall with acoustically dissimilar words
Who conducted the research study into the coding of the LTM and summarise what they did
-Baddeley
-LTM code semantically as there was better recall with semantically dissimilar words after a 20 minute prevention task
Who conducted the research study into the capacity of the STM and summarise what they did
-Miller
-found that it was limited. 5 to 9 items were recalled using the digit span technique.
Who conducted the research study into capacity of the LTM and summarise what they did
The LTM has to be unlimited so we can make new memories. You can’t possibly research it.
Who conducted the research study into the duration of the STM and summarise what they did
- Peterson & Peterson
-18 to 30 seconds, however maintenance rehearsal will increase duration
Who conducted the research study into the duration of the LTM and summarise what they found
-Bahrick
-information can last potentially lifetime. recall of classmates remained accurate after 48 years improved with the use of correct cues (photos)
Define coding (2)
-The way in which information is stored into memory
-For example, the STM code acoustically
Who conducted research into coding in the STM?
Baddeley
Who conducted research into coding in the LTM?
Baddeley
How did Baddeley conduct research into coding in the STM?
-showed ppts lists of words in 4 categories (same words- standardised tasks)
Condition 1- acoustically similar words (cat, sat, mat, bat)
Condition 2- acoustically dissimilar words (tree, house, flour)
-told to recall lists in the correct order immediately after the presentations (control- same amount of time for all ppts)
What was Baddeleys findings in the coding of the STM?
More mistakes found on acoustically similar list
What was Baddeleys conclusion about coding of the STM?
Suggests STM codes information acoustically
What method did Baddeley use in his experiments?
Lab experiment
What was the aim of Baddeleys research into coding of thr STM?
To investigate how we code information in our STM
What was the aim of Baddeleys research into coding of the LTM?
To investigate how we code information in our LTM
How did Baddeley conduct research into coding of the LTM?
-showed participants lists of words in 4 categories
Condition 1 - semantically similar (kip, doze, nap, sleep)
Condition 2- semantically dissimilar (cake, book, plane)
-20 mins after each presentation, ppts were asked to recall the lists in the correct order
What were the findings in Baddeleys research into the coding of the LTM?
More mistakes made on the semantically similar list
What was Baddeleys conclusion to his research into coding of the LTM?
Suggests LTM mainly codes information semantically
Give a strength for Baddeleys research into coding
High in reliability (lab experiment)
Give a weakness of Baddeleys coding research?
Lacks mundane realism- unrealistic task of recalling lists of words
Who conducted research into the capacity of the LTM?
NO ONE- IT IS UNLIMITED
Define capacity (2)
-the amount of information that can be held in memory
-for example, STM is 7+/-2 items
Evaluate research into coding of the STM and LTM
-high in reliability- lab experiment
-lacks mundane realism- unrealistic task of recalling word lists
Who conducted research into the capacity of the STM?
Miller
What was the aim of Miller’s research into capacity of the STM?
To investigate the capacity of the STM
Describe how Miller conducted research into capacity of the STM
-used the ‘digit span technique’ ( tests ability to recall a sequence of numbers in the correct order)
-ppts were given strings of unrelated digits
-their digit span was measured up until the point where they could no longer recall digits in the correct sequence
Describe the findings of Miller’s research into capacity of the STM
Participants could recall 7+/-2 items, more could be recalled if they were ‘chunked’
What was the conclusion of Miller’s research into capacity of the STM?
-Capacity of the STM is limited to 7+/-2 items
-Digit span can be increased by putting several items into a meaningful chunk
Evaluate Miller’s research into capacity of the STM
-high in reliability (lab)
-lacks mundane realism (artificial task of recalling a string of digits)
-DISCUSSION: in real life we may be required to recall some unrelated digits (phone number)- this task is meaningful
Who conducted research into duration of the STM?
Peterson & Peterson
Define duration (2)
-how long information lasts in our memory
-for example, the duration of the STM is 18-30 seconds
What was Peterson & Peterson’s sample in their research into duration of the STM?
24 undergraduate students
How did Peterson & Peterson investigate the duration of the STM?
-ppts were briefly presented with a consonant trigram ( 3 letter nonsense syllable)
- they were then given a three digit number and told to count back from it to prevent (maintenance) rehearsal
- they were stopped at different intervals (3,6,9,12,15) seconds and asked to recall the consonant trigram
What were the findings in Peterson & Peterson’s research into duration of the STM?
After 3 seconds, only 80% recalled the trigram correctly.
After 18 seconds, fewer than 10% recalled correctly
What was the conclusion of Peterson & Peterson’s research into duration of the STM?
Information in the STM lasts 18 to 30 seconds unless it is rehearsed
Evaluate Peterson & Peterson’s research into duration of the STM
-high in reliability (lab experiment )
-lacks mundane realism (artificial task of recalling consonant trigrams)
DISCUSSION: task is artificial but has some relevance to everyday tasks (recalling phone numbers)
What was the method of Peterson & Peterson’s research?
Lab experiment
Who conducted research into the duration of the LTM?
Bahrick
What method did Bahrick use in his research into duration of the LTM?
Field experiment
What was the aim of Bahrick’s research into duration of the LTM?
To investigate the duration of the LTM
How did Bahrick conduct research into the duration of the LTM?
-tested 392 american high school graduates aged 17-74 in their memory of former classmates
-in condition 1, they had to recall names of classmates with a yearbook
-in condition 2, they had to recall names of classmates without a yearbook
What was Bahrick’s sample in his research into duration of the LTM?
392 American high school graduates aged between 17-74
What were the findings in Bahrick’s research into the duration of the LTM?
Condition 1- 70% recalled correctly after 48 years (with visual cue)
Condition 2- 30% recalled accurately after 48 years (without visual cue)
What was Bahrick’s conclusion in his research into duration of the LTM?
Certain types of information can potentially last a lifetime, especially with the correct cues
What is the DV in Bahrick’s research into duration of the LTM?
Accuracy of recall of the classmates
Evaluate Bahrick’s research into duration of the LTM
-high in mundane realism (assessed using ppts actual classmates)
-low control over EVs (how much contact have ppts had with classmates after leaving school)
Who proposed the MSM of memory?
Atkinson & Shiffrin
Draw a diagram of the MSM
What is the intro for essays on the MSM?
-Atkinson & Shiffrin’s multi store model describes how information flows through memory.
-it is a structural model stating that the sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory are separate unitary stores, and the information flows through the system in a linear way
How does information enter the sensory register?
Through the 5 senses
How does information transfer from the sensory register to the short-term memory?
Info must be paid attention to
What happens if you don’t pay attention to information in the sensory register?
Info decays due to a limited duration
How do you keep information in the short-term memory
Maintenance rehearsal (increases duration of the STM and info is kept from decaying)
How does info transfer from the STM to the LTM?
Prolonged rehearsal (rehearsed for a long time)
How is info transferred from the LTM back to STM?
Retrieval
What is maintenance rehearsal?
Going over information to yourself to maintain this information
Why most info be transferred from the LTM to the STM to retrieve information?
So you can respond to it
Evaluate the MSM of memory
-supported by research studies that show the STM and LTM are separate unitary stores (Baddeley found participants mix up acoustically similar words in the STM and semantically similar words in their LTM)
-clive wearing (amnesia) cannot transfer info from his STM to his LTM
DISCUSSION; caste study is flawed (low pop val)
-MSM is too simplistic as rather than prolonged rehearsal, elaborative rehearsal must take place to transfer info from the STM to the LTM
