short and long term memory Flashcards
Distinctions between two types of memory in the late 19th century (theorists)
Sigmund Freud & William James
Freud on memory
2 layers
surface (transitory)
vs.
deep (permanent)
James on memory
2 things
primary (stream of consciousness)
vs.
secondary memory
what are the three basic memory systems?
3 memory systems
- sensory memory
- short term/working memory (RAM)
- long-term memory (hard drive)
sensory memory: general charactersitics
3 characteristics
- large capacity
- literal record of perceptual experience
- but lost quickly (transient)
sensory memory: visual -> what is iconic memory?
iconic memory or ‘visual sensory register’ holds visual input for 250 msec
- representation is pre-categorical (literal record of precept)
sensory memory: auditory -> what is echoic memory?
echoic memory or auditory sensory register holds auditory input for 2-3 seconds
what was Sperling’s 1960 iconic memory research?
whole report procedure
- flash a matrix of letters and digits for 50 milliseconds
- identify as many items as possible
short term memory general characteristics:
3 characteristics
- duration
- capacity
- how information is coded
what is the primary effect?
the tendency to recall earlier words
what is the regency effect?
the tendency to recall later words
what causes primacy and regency gradients?
2 points
- Primacy gradient – First few items can be rehearsed alot and so more likely to move into long-term memory
- Recency gradient - last few items of the list are still in STM when you start to write the list down
What type of code is used to remember over the short term?
2 points
- Short-term memory thought to be based on a
verbal (“phonological”) code - STM is like one’s “inner voice”
Evidence for phonological coding in short-term memory
- Phonological similarity effect – words that ‘sound’
alike more poorly recalled than dissimilar
sounding words
what is the word length effect?
recall of words is worse for longer words than for shorter words
when is the word-length effect eliminanted?
it is eliminated if phonological coding is prevented through ‘articulatory suppression’ (e.g., counting or
repeating an irrelevant word, “the, the, the…”)
Classic (or “modal”) memory model
Atkinson and Shiffrin’s (1968) 3-Stage Model
short-term memory summary:
3 points
- limited duration
- limited capacity (4-5 chunks)
- relies on a phonological code
duration of long-term memories:
- memories that are present after 3 years are likely to be well-preserved 30 years later
what did Paivio’s dual code theory suggest?
Paivio’s dual code theory suggested that imageable words can be encoded in visual as well as non-visual forms (e.g., semantic)
what is explicit memory?
when retrieval of a memory is deliberate/requires conscious recollection (declarative memory)
- short-term memory can also be explicit
what is implicit memory?
when behaviour/performance indicates that memories are being retrieved in the absence of a deliberate, conscious, attempt to retrieve them e.g.
- procedural memory
- recognising the meaning of common words
what are episodic memories?
memories for experiences/events
what are semantic memories?
general knowledge about the world
episodic vs semantic long-term memory
What is the evidence for the hierarchical structure of semantic memory?
Speed of responding to questions about semantic concepts differs according to number of ‘vertical’ steps required through the network
What is the evidence for spreading activation
through that hierarchy?
Semantic priming
long-term memory summary:
4 points
- (possibly) has limitless capacity
- very long duration
- better when we can rely on multiple different codes
- evidence that semantic memory is organised as a hierarchically structured network
