Topic 2 Cognitive - Content Flashcards
Who created The Multi Store Model?
Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)
What are the 3 components in The Multi Store Model?
- Sensory Memory
- Short-term Memory
- Long-term Memory
What is the Sensory Memory?
- Info arrives from 5 senses - by intaking its environment
- Large capacity
- Short duration (less than a second) - info immediately lost
What is the Short Term Memory?
- Encoding:
Acoustically encoded. - Retrieval:
Rapid Sequential Scan of stored info.
Rehearsal maintains info in the STM (strengthens memory trace).
More info enters, old info (with a weak memory trace) decays. - Info has to be attended to enter
- Duration is 15-30 seconds & then decays (if not rehearsed)
- 5-8 items capacity
What is The Long Term Memory?
- Encoding:
If info is linked to prior knowledge, easier to search for.
Encoded semantically.
If you understand info, more likely to remember - Unlimited capacity & duration
- Info recalled from LTM to STM when needed
- Retrieval:
Not stored as one memory trace but multiple copies.
‘Tip of the tongue’ - can recognise a correct answer (recognise first letter of a word but not the entire word) but can’t recall
What is evidence for the Sensory Memory?
Sperling (1960, 1963):
- visual array of letters is presented via tachistoscope
- recall is precise but decays if there’s a delay
( participants stared at a screen and rows of letters were flashed very briefly—for just 1/20th of a second. Then, the screen went blank. The participants then immediately repeated as many of the letters as they could remember seeing.)
What is evidence for Short Term Memory?
Peterson & peterson (1959):
- Recall a trigram with an interference task
- Performance dropped after 15-18 sec -> info decays rapidly if not rehearsed
What is evidence for Long Term Memory?
Bahrick et al (1975):
- Memory test using face & names in school yearbook
- 15 years after leaving school: 90% face & age recalled
- 48 years: 70-80% recall
Explain the overall process of The Multi Store Model (all components, from beginning to end)
1st Stage: Sensory Memory -> Info comes from the senses & lasts up to 2 seconds. If attended to, passed onto STM, if not attended, info decays.
2nd Stage: Short Term Memory -> Info lasts up to 15-30 sec & needs rehearsal for info to maintain. If info rehearsed, passed onto LTM, if not rehearsed, info decays.
3rd Stage: Long Term Memory -> Unlimited duration & store of info. Info stored is Semantic. Info lost through decay or interference.
What are the Strengths of the Multi Store Model?
Brain damaged patient - Henry Molaison:
- Supports the distinction of STM & LTM - located in diff regions of the brain?
- He had a functioning STM but LTM was damaged (couldn’t make LTM memories)
Glanzer & Cunitz (1966):
- Serial Position curve shows that we remember words at the beginning and end of a list better than words in the middle. Because beginning info chance to be rehearsed, strengthened & transferred to LTM.
Words at the end (the most recent) displaced the middle words, transferring the end words into the STM.
-Shows memory have different stores
Clive Wearing: Damage to Hippocampus
- Could still use STM to remember things for 20 seconds - but forget it - couldn’t make new memories
- Supports MSM - suggests an inability to rehearse info in LTM & the idea of separate stores
[counterpoint] - Couldn’t recall past events but could recall how to play piano - LTM too simplistic, more than 1 component
What are the Weaknesses of the Multi Store Model?
- Victim motorbike accident (K.F.) -> Still add memories to LTM even though STM was damaged
- MSM cannot explain this
Oversimplified:
- STM is more than one simple unitary store but is comprises with diff components (central executive, episodic buffer - from the Working Memory Model)
Model is based on lab experiments & artificial tasks (e.g. meaningless trigrams) when in real life we use our memory to remember important things, not applicable to real life -> lack ecological validity -> conclusions invalid
Who created the Working Memory Model?
Baddeley & Hitch (1974)
What are the components in the Working Memory Model?
- Central Executive
- Phonological Loop
- Episodic Buffer
- Visuospatial Sketchpad
What is the Central Executive?
- Limited Capacity
- Monitors overall system (incoming data)
- Decides how slave systems should function (allocate tasks)
- Deal with all sensory info & cognitive tasks
What is the Phonological Loop?
Temporarily stores verbal info
Split into 2 subsystems: Phonological Store (inner ear): - Holds limited verbal info for a few seconds - decays rapidly - can be extended using articulatory rehearsal system
Articulatory Rehearsal System (inner voice):
- Rehearses & stores verbal info from the phonological store
What is the Visuospatial Sketchpad?
- Stores and processes visual info
- Used for navigation