Perception and Pattern Recognition Flashcards
Who proposed the Modal Model in 1981?
Atkinson and Shiffrin
What is the Modal Model?
The Modal Model is the standard meta-theory that cognitive psychologists use to talk about the human mind. It consists of several types of memory and specifies how information is passed among them.
What are the several types of memory?
Sensory
Short-term
Long-term
What is sensory memory composed of?
Sensory memory consists of several registers, one for each sensory modality.
What are the 2 modalities for sensory memory?
Iconic memory: visual
Echoic memory: auditory
What is the duration of iconic memory?
250 milliseconds
What is the duration of echoic memory?
2-4 seconds
What is short-term memory?
Short term memory is related to consciousness, immediate awareness and attention. It uses control processes to manipulate information.
What are the control processes used in short-term memory to manipulate info?
Encoding
Retrieval
Operators
What is encoding?
Transferring info from short-term memory into long-term memory.
What is retrieval?
Transferring info from long-term memory back into short-term memory.
What are operators?
All the mental actions or routines that are necessary to perform even simple tasks (e.g. rehearsing a telephone number).
What is the capacity of short-term memory?
Very limited (e.g. number of digits on a telephone number).
What are several alternative names for ST memory?
Primary memory
Short-term store
Working memory
What is long-term memory?
Long-term memory is the repository of all our past experiences.
What are the several subtypes of long-term memory?
Declarative
Episodic
Semantic
Procedural
What is declarative long-term memory?
Memory about something that can be consciously re-experienced and talked about.
What is episodic long-term memory?
Personal experiences, autobiographical events.
What is semantic long-term memory?
Encyclopaedic or factual, conceptual knowledge; including lexical knowledge (e.g. knowledge of words, spellings and pronunciations.)
What is procedural long-term memory?
Memory about how we do something, often difficult to describe verbally and thus also called Motor Memory.
Who first studied iconic memory in 1960?
Sperling
What were Sperling’s 2 theoretical questions in his study of iconic memory?
- How much info is held in iconic memory?
2. How long does an icon persist?
What was the method and logic used in Sperling’s study of iconic memory?
Tachistoscopic presentation of 3 X 4 letter trays, used to expose eye to objects for very brief duration of time.
Subjects were instructed to report as many letters as possible in 2 conditions. Retention interval between array and cue was varied (0-5 seconds).
What were the 2 conditions participants were assigned in Sperling’s iconic memory experiment?
- Whole report: report as many letters as possible, in any order.
- Partial report: report as many letters as possible from a particular (cued) row.
What were the results for the Whole Report group in Sperling’s iconic memory experiment?
Participants could recall 4-5 letters out of 12.
37% of information = memory span.
Errors reflected verbal (not visual) similarity. (E.g. B + V, not E + F)
What were the results for the Partial Report group in Sperling’s iconic memory experiment?
Participants could recall 3 out of 4 letters (75% of info).
Span of apprehension across whole grid was 9 items (76%).
What did Sperling discover about Gap Timing in his iconic memory experiment?
As the gap between the end of the stimuli and tone increased, the span of apprehension decreased back to the same level as the whole report condition.
What were the conclusions of Sperling’s iconic memory experiment?
On average, participants were able to recall ___ of the letters on a cued row. Since the participants didn’t know which row was going to be called beforehand, but still managed to ____ __ ____, we can assume that at one time __ the _________ was held in the _______ _____. But it _______ very _____.
On average, participants were able to recall 80% of the letters on a cued row. Since the participants didn’t know which row was going to be called beforehand, but still managed to recall it well, we can assume that at one time all the information was held in the sensory memory. But it decayed very rapidly.
Summarise the findings of Sperling’s iconic memory experiment in one sentence.
Sensory memory stores are large, but decay very rapidly, lasting 250-500 milliseconds.
Who sought to explain how information is lost from iconic memory in 1961?
Averbach back and Coriell
What were the 2 theoretical questions asked by Averbach and Coriell in their iconic memory experiment?
- How is information lost from iconic memory?
2. Does the information passively decay, or is it overwritten (masked) by new visual info?
What is decay?
Passive degradation of information over time (e.g. a photograph fading in bright sunlight.)
What is masking?
New information actively interfering with old information (e.g. an image in a digital camera replacing an older image).
What was the method and logic used in Averbach and Coriell’s iconic memory experiment?
Used the same basic procedure as Sperling’s (1960) study. However, rather than using a whole vs. partial report, subjects reported cued letters.
What were the 2 types of cued letters used in Averbach and Coriell’s iconic memory experiment?
- Underscore: shouldn’t mask the iconic image of a letter.
2. Circle and hash # mark: should mask the iconic image of a letter.
How was the underscore cue presented in Averbach and Coriell’s iconic memory experiment?
Participants were presented with a visual display of 2 X 8 letter rows for 50 milliseconds. The visual bar was placed above or below a letters position simultaneously with an array offset.