Short-Term Memory Flashcards
memory
the process involved in retaining, retrieving, and using information about stimuli, images, events, ideas, and skills after the original information is no longer present
sensory memory
the brief retention of sensory information
short-term memory/working memory
information that stays in our memory for brief periods of time (10 to 15 seconds)
episodic memory
long-term memory of experiences
procedural memory
long-term memory of the ability to do something involving muscle coordination
semantic memory
long-term memory of facts
everything we know or think about at each moment in time is in _________
short-term memory
modal model
- sensory memory holds all incoming information for seconds/fraction of a second
- STM holds 5-7 items for about 15-20 seconds
- LRM can hold a large amount of information for years
control processes
dynamic processes associated with the types of memory that can be controlled by the person and may differ from one task to another
encoding
the process of encoding information in LTM
retrieval
the process of remembering information in LTM
persistence of vision
the brief retention of the perception of light
whole report method
subjects are asked to report every aspect of a stimulus
iconic memory
the brief sensory memory for visual stimuli
echoic memory
the brief sensory memory for sound
most information in STM is ____
lost
decay
when information is lost from memory due to passage of time
proactive interference
when information that was learned previously interferes with learning new information
retroacting interference
when new information interferes with remembering old learning
digit span
the number of digits a person can remember
chunking
small units can be combined into larger meaningful units
effect of chunking?
enables STM to deal with a larger amount of information
working memory
a limited-capacity system for temporary storage and manipulation of information for complex tasks
How is information copied into memory store?
Attention selects information from sensory memory via pattern recognition to transfer to STM
George Miller
wrote a paper on the “magic number” of STM capacity (7 +/- 2 chunks)
chunk
a collection of elements that are strongly associated with one another but weakly associated with elements of other chunks
recoding
packaging more information into each chunk
mnemonic
a technique for improving memory
verbal information is recoded into _____ format in _____
- acoustic
- working memory
Saul Sternberg
developed a way to measure working memory retrieval using recognition, not recall
serial memory scan
scanning items in memory one at a time
parallel memory scan
scanning all items at ones
Alan Badley
shifted emphasis from STM (passive storage) to working memory (active processing)
central executive
directs and controls all working memory functions
visuo-spacial sketchpad
a slave system for holding visual information
phonological loop
a slave system for holding and recycling auditory information (articulatory loop for using/phonological store for holding info)
episodic buffer
where information from different modalities and sources is bound together
serial vs free recall
serial- same order they were presented
free- any order
primacy
superior memory for the beginning information in a sequence
recency
superior memory for the ending information in a sequence
dissociation
an independent variable affects one situation different from another (eg. distraction affects WM but not LTM)
phonological similarity effect
the confusion of letters or words that sound similar
word length effect
memory for lists of words is better for short words than for long words
perseveration
repeating the same action or thought even if it is not achieving the desired goal
