Memory - Paper 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Outline the meaning of short term memory (STM)

A

Capacity of the brain to hold a small amount of information for a short period of time.

5-9 items

18-30 seconds

Primarily acoustic

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2
Q

Outline the meaning of long term memory (LTM)

A

Permanent memory storage.

Capacity unlimited

Duration a few minutes to a lifetime

Primarily semantic

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3
Q

Describe the meaning of capacity

A

Amount of information that can be stored in memory at any one time

Miller found STM has capacity of 7+- 2

LTM potentially unlimited

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4
Q

Describe the meaning of duration

A

The length of time information can be held

Peterson and Peterson STM duration for roughly 30 seconds

Bahrick found LTM unlimited duration

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5
Q

Describe the meaning of coding

A

The format in which information is stored

STM acoustically

LTM semantically (meaning)

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6
Q

Outline Jacobs research on capacity

A

Jacobs measured digit span

Sequence of digits then recall them out loud in correct order

Increased by one each time until participant can no longer recall

Mean span - 9.3 numbers, 7.3 letters

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7
Q

Evaluate Jacobs research on capacity

A

+ Been replicated

  • old study 1887 - poor control, participants been distracted

+ results supported by further research supporting validity

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8
Q

Evaluate Millers research on capacity

A
  • based on prevalence of seven in human evolution

+ overestimated. Cowan suggest 4 chunks

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9
Q

Evaluate research on duration of STM -

A
  • Meaningless stimuli material artificial, nonsense trigrams
  • lack external validity

+ forgetting can be explained - spontaneous decay - no rehearsal. New information pushed out old

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10
Q

Describe research into duration of STM

A

Peterson et al

Consonant syllables

3 digit number count back from

3 seconds - 80%
18 seconds - 3%

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11
Q

Describe research into duration of LTM

A

Bahrick

Yearbook photos

17 to 74 recognition - 90% after 15 years, 70% after 48

Free recall - 60% after 15, 30% after 48

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12
Q

Evaluate research in the duration of LTM

A

+ high external validity - real life memories

  • hard to control confounding variables - looked and rehearsed photos over the years
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13
Q

Describe research into coding

A

Baddeley

Acoustically and semantically similar words

Immediate recall worse with acoustically similar words

Recall after 20 minutes worse with semantically similar words

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14
Q

Evaluate research into coding

A

+ identified two memory stores

  • artificial stimuli
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15
Q

Key features of the multi store model of memory

A

Atkinson and Shiffrin

Three stores linked together by processing

Enviromental stimuli&raquo_space; sensory register&raquo_space; attention&raquo_space; STM&raquo_space; response / prolonged rehearsal&raquo_space; LTM

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16
Q

Outline the sensory register (MSM)

A

Stimulus from environment passes into register

(Sights, sounds, smells)

Echoic memory (auditory), Iconic memory (visual), Tactile memory (touch), Olfactory memory (smell), Gustatory memory (taste)

Duration less than a second

Capacity high

Pay attention for information to pass through

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17
Q

How is information transferred from STM to LTM

A

Maintenance rehearsal - keep in STM

Prolonged rehearsal- transfer LTM

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18
Q

How are memories recalled in MSM

A

Transferred back to STM by retrieval

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19
Q

Evaluate the MSM

A

+ supporting research - Baddely mix similar words STM and similar meaning LTM. Memory stores separate and independent

  • evidence more than one type STM. Patient KF amnesia. Recall much better when he read the digits. One visual and one auditory
  • prolonged rehearsal not needed for STM - LTM transfer - limited explanation
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20
Q

Outline the episodic memory of the LTM store

A

Stores events

Complex

Events time stamped

Involve several elements - conscious effort to recall them

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21
Q

Outline the semantic memory of the LTM store

A

Stores out knowledge of the word

Not time stamped

Less personal - knowledge everyone shares

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22
Q

Outline the procedural memory of LTM

A

Actions and skills

How to do things

Recall unconscious

Hard explains actions

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23
Q

Evaluate types of LTM

A

+ case study evidence - Clive wearing - lost episodic

  • conflicting findings - poor agreement on location

+ helping with memory problems - specific treatments

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24
Q

Outline the key features of the working memory model

A

Baddeley and Hitch

STM organisation

Centeral executive, episodic buffer,
visuospatial Sketchpad ( visual cache, inner scribe)
Phonological loop (articulatory process, phonological store)

25
Q

Outline the key features of the central executive

A

Monitors incoming data

Allocates slave systems to tasks

Very limited storage capacity

Coding flexible

26
Q

Outline the key features of phonological loop

A

Deals with auditory information

Articulatory process allows maintenance

Capacity 2 seconds worth of what you can say

Coding acoustic

27
Q

Outline key features of the visuospatial Sketchpad

A

Stores visual information

Capacity 3 to 4 objects

28
Q

Outline the key features of the episodic buffer

A

Added later

Temporary store

Maintains sense of time sequencing

Links to LTM

29
Q

Evaluate the working memory model

A

+ support from clinical evidence - patient KF - auditory poor

+ dual task studies - 2 visual tasks at same time. Than visual and verbal easier

  • dual task support - highly controlled and artificial, question validity of model
30
Q

Describe interference theory

A

Forgetting occurs when can’t gain access to stored memories

Two pieces of information conflict

Worse when memories similar

31
Q

What is proactive interference?

A

When older memories disrupts newer memories

32
Q

What is retroactive interference?

A

Newer disrupts older ones

33
Q

Describe research into the effects of similarity on interference

A

McGeoch and McDonald

List of words to 100% accuracy

Then given new list, varied degree of similarity

More similar = worst recall

Interference strongest when memories similar

34
Q

Evaluate interference

A

+ support in real world situations - Baddeley and Hitch rugby players. Played had worst recall

  • overcome using cues - temporary lost - not predicted
  • I like everyday forgetting - recall much later - validity issues
35
Q

Describe the Johnson and Scott study on anxiety

A

Sat in waiting room

  • low anxiety condition - casual conversation - holding pen grease on hands
  • high anxiety condition - heated argument, sound breaking glass, holding knife covered in blood

Pick man from photos

36
Q

What are the findings of Johnson and Scott

A

49% accuracy in low

37% high

Identify tunnel theory of memory. Weapon focus as result of anxiety

37
Q

Describe the Yuille and Cutshall study on anxiety

A

Actual crime - shop owner shot

Witnesses taken part in

Interview 4-5 months after

Witness rate stress

38
Q

Findings of Yuille and Cutshall

A

Little change after 5 months
Higher stress level about 88% accurate compares to 75%

39
Q

Explain contradictory findings of anxiety

A

Inverted U theory - Dodson et al - relationship between performance and stress is curvilinear

Deffenbacher review 21 studies - lower level of anxiety produce lower recall.

40
Q

Evaluate research into eyewitness testimony and anxiety

A
  • anxiety may not be relevant to weapon focus. Not sue to anxiousness but surprise

+ supporting evidence for negative effects. Valentine et al - heart rate - London dungeon

+ supporting evidence for positive effects - Christianson et al - bank robbery - 75% accuracy

41
Q

Explain ethical issues concerned with research into eyewitness testimony - anxiety

A

Creating anxiety my subject people to psychological harm

42
Q

What does eyewitness testimony mean?

A

The ability of people to remember the details of events which they themselves observed

43
Q

What are leading questions?

A

Suggest a certain answer because of the way it has been phrased

44
Q

What is post event discussion?

A

Witnesses discuss what they have experiences. Affecting the accuracy of recall

45
Q

Describe Loftus and Palmer’s study

A

45 students watched film of accident

Answer questions about speed

5 groups each given a different verb e.g. contacted, smashed

46
Q

What were the findings of Loftus and Palmer’s study

A

Contacted produced mean of 31.8 mph

Smashed produced mean of 40.5 mph

47
Q

Why do leading questions affect recall?

A

Response bias explanation - no enduring effect on memory only answer given

Substitution explanation - interfere, distorting accuracy

48
Q

Describe Gabbert et al - post event discussion

A

Paired participants watched video of same crime

Each see elements others could not

Discuss before completing test of recall

49
Q

What are the findings of Gabbert et al’s study

A

71% wrongly recalled aspects

Control group - no discussion, no errors

50
Q

Why does post event information affect recall

A

Memory contamination - mix info

Memory conformity - go along to win social approval or believe others are right

51
Q

Evaluation of eyewitness testimony - misleading information

A

+ real world application - CJS

  • challenging evidence - Sutherland more focused when asked leading questions
  • demand characteristics - lab studies - high control
52
Q

What is retrieval failure?

A

Lack of cues can cause retrieval failure. Cues useful when both the dame for encoding and retrieval

Meaningful links

53
Q

Describe Godden and Baddeley’s context experiment

A

Deep sea divers learned new word list on land or in sea and recalled wither on land or in sea

40% lower in mismatched context

54
Q

Describe Goodwin - state experiment

A

Participants learned list of words on or off alcohol

Recall significantly worse in mismatched cues

55
Q

Evaluate retrieval failure

A

+ real world application - strategies used to improve recall

+ supporting evidence - occur everyday life and labs

  • context effects vary in recall and recognition - no context depending effect. Limited explanation.
56
Q

Eyewitness testimony - the cognitive interview

A
  1. Report everything - include every detail
  2. Reinstate context - return to crime scene in mind
  3. Reverse order - recalled in different order prevent dishonesty
  4. Change perspective - recall from other peoples perspective
57
Q

Explain the enhanced cognitive interview

A

Fisher et al

Focus on social dynamics of interactions

Reduce anxiety, minimise distractions

Ask open ended questions

58
Q

Evaluate eyewitness testimony - cognitive interview

A

+ research support for effectiveness - meta analysis 41% more correct information

  • some elements more useful than other - cast doubt on credibility
  • time consuming - special training