PSYC2050 - Wk8 LTM Flashcards
What underlies the concept of memory?
Actionable preservation of info. Store, retrieve, act.
What are 4 features of semantic memories?
Not contextual
Abstract
Non-autobiographical
Word representations/meanings
What are 4 features of episodic memory?
Context-sensitive
Personal
Autobiographical
Experience based
Roughly what is semantic memory?
General knowledge of the world
Roughly what is episodic memory?
Can you tell me about a particular instance you have experienced
What is an example of semantic and episodic memory being used at once?
Watching a movie:
S - identify objects, interpret speech, recognise situations
E - Remember plot, prior actions of characters
What is implicit memory?
The effects of a recent study phase on semantic memory tasks. Ie not something you experienced, but rather learned/picked up
What do we need from a human memory system? 4
Access past experiences to help deal with current situation
Access relevant info
Forget irrelevant
Efficient system during ongoing actions
What guides human memory which isn’t a feature of computer memory?
Significance of info & less defined access-cues
How much of an experience is stored in human memory?
Only a small part, which is relevant personally
Can retrieving and accessing human memory alter those memories? How? 2
yes. Reinterpretation and distortion over time
What is the misinformation effect?
Recalling info that was experienced without realising the source of the info (whether accurate or not)
How do retrieval cues affect memory?
Because memory is effortful people can wrongly incorporate aspects of the cues used to remember something (eg green car crashed, but it was red)
how can repeated questioning in legal situations be risky?
Witnesses can later recall something that was suggested in a past question
What concept is seen as the ‘cognitive workspace’?
Working memory
How did Murdoch (1962) show a serial position curve?
Ps remember list of 10-30 words, presented singly. Free recall test (any order). Items at beginning = LTM transfer. Items at end = WM.
What underlies the primacy effect?
Transfer to LTM
What underlies the recency effect?
Later serial items are fresh in the WM
What shows that recency effect is due to WM?
Increasing WM load(count backwards by 3s from 100) eliminates recency effect but not primacy effect. So, effects are attributed to different memory systems.
What types of memory are influenced by order of item presentation?
STM
What are the components of the modal model?
Sensory memory -> STM -> LTM
What are the 4 processes in the modal model? Explain each.
Attention (sense to stm)
Rehearsal (STM to LTM)
Retrieval (LTM to STM)
Decay (anything not moved along is lost)
How did STM info get into LTM in the modal model?
Just having info in the STM for a long period will transfer it
What does rehearsal do in the modal model?
Keeps info in the STM for longer
What are criticisms of the model modal? 3
- Sensory systems not considered memory processes
- Rehearsal not sufficient mechanism
- More complex interplay between LTM/STM
What are contributions of the modal model? 2
- Idea that memory is due to different stores/systems
2. Influenced Baddeley and Hitch’s 1974 model
Which is more flexible and sensitive, recall or recognition?
Recognition
What is an explicit test of memory?
Intentional retrieval - asking Ps to remember, even if not told to study for the test
How can typical episodic memory experiments be varied? 4
Materials
Item vs relational
Trials per item
Cues present/absent
What is the DV is recall tasks?
Accuracy (response time is not important)
What is the difference between free and serial recall?
Any order
In the same order
What is cued recall?
Cues are given to make recall easier, eg word stems/subject markers
Why is it challenging to interpret recognition scores?
There could be a response bias
What are two advantages of recognition tests?
Can test items not easily reproduced (complex shapes, faces)
More likely to detect memories that are weaker or incomplete
What types of errors can you find in episodic recognition tests?
False alarm (recognising something that wasn’t learned) Miss (something that was learned)
How do you deal with false alarms in testing?
Subtract FA from hit rate
What does signal detection do if we are trying to deal with false alarms?
It allows you to estimate sensitivity and bias in the responses, separately
What is explicit memory and how is it tested?
Episodic memory that is directly tested
How is implicit memory probed?
Indirect tests which show improvement
What is a lexical decision task? How does it allow for implicit memory testing?
Testing speeded responses to words vs non-words. there should be faster performance on words previously studied
What is priming in implicit tests of memory?
A recently encountered word is more available and increases performance for that word
What is a caution of implicit memory tasks?
People might still be using episodic or explicit methods for approaching the tasks
What is Korsakoff’s syndrome?
Alcohol induced cognitive decline/amnesia.
How does Korsakoff’s syndrome illustrate the difference between implicit and explicit memory? What does this mean?
They are able to make improvements in trivia questions when repeated. But were unable to say they had seen it before. So they lost contextual information, rather than actual semantic information.
What does Ebbinhaus’ forgetting curve tell us about how forgetting works?
Forgetting is systematic and lawful
What is decay in memory?
Memories, or connections between them, fade
What are conceptual and empirical problems with decay?
Circularity in definition
Not feasible to get direct evidence of decay at neural level
How does sleep rule out interference in memory loss?
No opportunity for new knowledge to affect learned knowledge.
What are two limitations of Jenkins & Dallenbach’s sleep interference/decay study?
Time scale (hours) doesn’t rule out decay over longer periods Sleep might actually consolidate information
What are two types of interference?
Proactive: old info blocks new
Retroactive: new info blocks old
How do rugby players show retroactive interference of memory?
Game-memory was more related with number of games played since the recalled game. Not the time elapsed after that game. Interference not decay.
What are problems with repressed memory? 3
Traumatic events are actually often well-remembered
Difficult to establish facts from many years ago
Early childhood events may not be understood well at the time.
