Research into Capacity of Memory Flashcards
What does the term capacity refer to?
Capacity refers to how much information can be held in memory at any one time
Who were the two psychologists who conducted research into capacity of memory?
Jacob and Miller
Outline the research conducted by Jacob
Jacob used a digit span test to assess the capacity of the short term memory. He showed a number of a digits to his participants (for example three digits: 590)
The participant would then read the digits out and recall them back in the correct order. This would repeat whilst the number of digits increased until the participant could no longer recall the digits in the correct order
What were the findings of Jacob’s research?
Jacob found that the average participant remembered 9.3 digits and 7.3 letters
What were the findings of the research conducted by Miller?
Miller found that short term memory had the capacity of 7 +- 2 and it allowed him to coin the term chunking. Chunking was the grouping of digits/letters/words together to make things easier to remember
Outline the research conducted by Miller
Miller observed everyday patterns and realised most things came in 7s. For example, days of the week. He this information to conduct research that found people absorbed roughly 7 new pieces of information in their short term memory
What is the capacity of the short term memory and the long term memory?
Short term memory: 7 plus or minus 2
Long term memory: unlimited
How many evaluation points are there?
There are two evaluation points
What is a strength of Jacob’s study?
Jacob’s study has been replicated many times, leading to finings that have been validated. Although older studies lacked adequate controls, potentially having been exposed to confounding variables. Jacob’s findings have been confirmed by other, better controlled studies, since. This proves that Jacob’s study is a valid test of digit span in short term memory
What is a limitation of Miller’s study?
Miller’s study may have overestimated the capacity of the short term memory. Psychologist Cowan reviewed other research and found the capacity of short term memory is only 4 plus or minus chunks. Additionally Vogel et al conducted research on the capacity of short term memory for visual information and found 4 chunks was the limit. This suggests that the lower of Miller’s estimate (five chunks) is more appropriate than seven items.
A case study was carried out on Peter whose brain was damaged in a motorcycle accident.
Psychologists tested how many numbers he could hold in his short-term memory. They did this by reading him lists of numbers and asking him to recall the numbers immediately in the right order. He could recall a maximum of two items. The psychologists found that his long-term memory was normal.
How was Peter’s short-term memory after the accident different from most adults’ short-term memory?
A study by Jacob found that the average adult could hold 7 plus or minus 2 items when shown a list of numbers using the digit span test. Peter differs from this as his short term memory can only recall a maximum of two items. This means due to the accident, his short term memory has declined and has decreased in capacity from what most adults have (7+-2) to just two items
Outline the difference between the capacity of short-term memory and the capacity of long-term memory
The capacity of short-term memory is 7 plus or minus 2 whereas the capacity of long-term memory is unlimited.
