Sensory, Short-term & Working Memory Flashcards
encoding
the function by which information is coded in a form that allows it to be stored in memory
storage
the function by which information is retained in memory
retrieval
the function by which information is recollected as needed
Multi-Store Model of Memory by Atkinson & Shiffrin
proposes that memory consists of three main stores: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Information flows through these stores in a linear fashion, with limited capacity and duration at each stage
short-term memory
the memory systems in the brain involved in remembering pieces of information for a short period of time. Last 15 to 30 sec but may be retained longer by rehearsal of the material. The capacity of the short-term store is limited to a small number of “chunks” of information.
long-term memory
provide a lasting retention of information (e.g., facts, episodes, skills, conditioned responses) from minutes to a lifetime. Appear to have an almost unlimited capacity.
Magic number 7+-2
refers to the limited capacity of STM or WM by Miller. This means that individuals can typically hold between five to nine pieces of information in their STM at any given time. Beyond this capacity, information becomes increasingly difficult to retain and process.
recollection
the act of recalling something to mind
working memory
Part of STM. Memory that involves storing, focusing attention on, and manipulating information for a relatively short period of time. It’s the collection of mental processes that permit information to be held temporarily in an accessible state, in the service of some mental task.
Secondary memory
refer to memory proper, which we not think of as LTM
primary memory
now known as STM
sensory memory
recollection of perceptual types of how a stimulus looks, feels, sounds, etc. Temorary sensory register that allows input from the sensory modalities to be prolonged.
iconic memory
sensory memory store for visual stimuli
echoic memory
sensory memory specific to auditory stimuli
haptic/tactile memory
a form of sensory memory specific to tactile stimuli, sense of touch
rehearsal
a set of processes by which we can act on currently active information. Involves recycling the information (e.g. by repeating it to ourselves)
maintenance rehearsal
retains information in STM
elaborative rehearsal
organizes the information so that it can be integrated into LTM
decay
a process by which information is lost from STM over time
displacement
a process by which information coming into STM causes information already held there to be lost
digit span
number of digits that can be held in memory and is used as a measure of STM
on average most people can keep 7 +- 2. Can increase with chunking
chunking
a strategy to improve memory by grouping smaller units together into a larger unite
recency effect
tendency, given a list of items to remember, to recall those from the end of the list more readily than items from the middle
serial position curve
used to plot recall of a word list such that performance is examined as a function of words position in a list. Best performance at the end of the list when recalling a long list of words in order, and at the beginning
primary effect
enhanced recall of items at the start of a list compared to those in the middle
negative recency effect
the tendency for recall of items from the end of a list to be poorer than for those from the start of middle of the list in a final, cumulative task
amnesia
a patter of memory lost affecting elements of LTM, while STM remains intact
double dissociation
when two related mental processes are shown to function independently of each other. Like STM and LTM
Baddeley’s working memory model
posited that as opposed to the simplistic functions of STM in providing short-term storage of information, working memory is a multicomponent system that manipulates information storage for greater and more complex cognitive utility.
Includes: Central executive, visuo-spatial sketchpad, phonological loop and episodic buffer
central executive
the component of working memory proposed to control and coordinate the activity of the other components. Focuses and switches attention
visuo-spatial sketchpad
the component of working memory proposed for the temporary storage and manipulation of visual and spatial information. Limited capacity: three to four objects
Two components: visual cache and inner scribe
visual cache
the component of the VSSP that stores visual information
inner scribe
the component of the VSSP that allows spatial processing
phonological loop
the component of working memory proposed for the temporary storage and manipulation of sound or phonological information.
Two subcomponents: phonological store and articulatory control process
phonological store
holds speech-based information for a period of about two or three seconds
articulatory control process
allows maintenance of information in the store and converts visual information to speech-based information. Processes linked to inner speech
Four main evidence for the phonological loop
- the word length effect
- the effects of articulatory suppression
- the irrelevant speech effect
- the phonological similarity effect
the word length effect
the recall advantage for shorter words compared to longer words when immediate serial recall is tested
the effects of articulatory suppression
the ability to rehearse sub vocally can be disrupted if we require a participant to rehearse a string that is not relevant to the currant task
the irrelevant speech effect
recall of visually presented verbal material is poorer when irrelevant speech is presented during learning
the phonological similarity effect
recall is poorer for an ordered list of verbal items when the items sound alike, relative to performance on a list of items that do not sound alike
dysexecutive syndrome
a range of deficits reflecting problems with executive function and control, and often associated with injury to the frontal areas of the brain
the episodic buffer
a component that was added to the Working Memory Model later on. It is responsible for integrating information from the phonological loop, VSSP, and LTM to create a complete representation of an event or experience.
activities that provide resistance to cognitive aging
bilingualism, playing musical instrument, aerobic exercises
Cowan’s Embedded Processes Working Memory Model
proposes that working memory consists of two separate subsystems: the activated portion of LTM and a central executive. The activated portion of LTM holds a limited amount of information that is currently in use, while the central executive controls attention, decision-making, and retrieval from LTM. This model emphasizes the dynamic interaction between STM and LTM systems in cognitive tasks.
