Types of Memory Flashcards
What do memory stores vary on?
1) Capacity
2) Duration
3) Coding
Define capacity:
How much can be stored.
Define duration:
How long things can be stored.
Define coding:
What format things are stored in.
What are the two types of coding?
- Sensory
- Semantic
Define sensory coding:
When we store sensory information.
What are the main two types of sensory coding?
- Acoustic
- Visual
Define acoustic coding:
Storing information as sounds.
Define visual coding:
Storing information as images.
Define semantic coding:
Storing information by its meaning.
What are the three memory stores?
- Sensory register
- STM
- LTM
Define the sensory register:
A temporary that stores sensory information while we process it.
How long is the sensory registers duration?
1-2 seconds.
What type of capacity does the sensory register have?
Large.
What type of code does the sensory register have?
Sensory.
Which study supported sensory register?
Sperlings.
What did sperling aim to investigate?
The capacity of sensory memory.
Outline sperlings method?
- Lab study.
- Showed participants a grid of 12 letters which were flashed on the screen.
- Immediately after participants were asked to recall letters.
- He tested them in two conditions.
- A tone was played to indicate which row had to be recalled.
What were the two conditions in Sperlings study?
1) Recall as many letters as possible.
2) Recall one row.
- Participants didn’t know which group they were in beforehand.
What was the DV in Sperlings study?
How many letters could be recalled.
What did Sperling find?
The sensory register has a short duration and a large capacity.
How many letters were recalled on the whole grid? (Sperlings study)
4-5.
How many letters were recalled in one row? (Sperlings study)
3 (which is almost the whole row).
- This means that all the rows may have been registered due to participants being unaware of their groups in advance.
Why couldn’t participants remember more than 5 letter in the whole grid? (Sperlings study)
Due to the sensory registers short duration.
Which two theorists tested the STM using a digit span test?
Jacobs and Miller.
What did Jacobs aim to investigate?
The capacity of STM.
Outline Jacobs study: (STM)
- Showed participants a sequence of random numbers/digits.
- Then asked them to repeat back in order.
- He increased the length of the sequence each time.
What were Jacobs findings? (STM)
Capacity is set at 7+/-2 digits or letters.
What evidence did Jacobs study provide? (STM)
That capacity of STM is limited.
What did Miller aim to investigate? (STM)
Chucking letters/digits make it easier to recall.
Define chunking: (STM)
Grouping individual letters together into meaningful units.
What did Miller argue? (STM)
- Capacity of the STM is determined by the number of chunks not the number of individual items to recall.
- Maximum capacity isn’t limited to 7 individual letters/digits but 7+/-2 chunks of info.
What were Millers findings? (STM)
- Chunking improves capacity.
- A study found people could recall 79 random digits due to chunking.
What type of duration does the long-term memory have?
Long.
What type of capacity does the long-term memory have?
Large.
What type of code is the long-term memory stored in?
Semantic.
Define long-term memory:
Permanent store to store information for long periods of time.
Who investigated long-term memory m?
Bahrick.
What did Bahrick aim to investigate? (LTM)
The duration of long-term memory.
Outline Bahricks procedure: (LTM)
- Asked adults to recall names of their ex classmates (after 15 and 48 years).
- Asked to recall as many names as they could remember (no extra cues).
- Then showed photos of their ex classmates + asking them to name/match the names to a photo (using recognition).
What were Bahricks findings? (LTM)
After 15 years: memory was good
Recall = 60% Recognition = 90%
After 48 years:
Recall = 30% (dropped)
Recognition = 80%
What did Bahrick conclude? (LTM)
LTM has a long duration but retrieving information is better when asked to recognise rather than recall.
What was a strength of Babricks study? (LTM)
High ecological validity = more likely to generalise.
- Participants asked to retrieve info from their own everyday lives.
What is a limitation of Bahricks study? (LTM)
Little control over extraneous variables = affect accuracy
- Due to asking to retrieve info from years ago.
Who looked into support for coding used in LTM + STM?
Baddeley.
Outline Baddeleys study:
- Lab.
- Asked participants to memorise a list of words.
- Test STM: asked them to recall in order Immediately after the list.
- Test LTM: asked them to recall in order 20 mins after.
- He didn’t show the participants all the same list (divided them into four groups).
What were Baddeleys four groups?
1) Words which sounded similar.
2) Words that sounded different.
3) Words which all had similar meanings.
4) Words which all had different meanings.
What were Baddleys findings for STM?
- Recall of similar sounding words = recalled fewest words in correct order.
- Recall of different sounding words = most recalled in correct order.
(All were recalled immediately)
What did Baddeley conclude for STM?
Acoustic code is used in STM.
What does Baddeleys study support?
Coding in STM + LTM.
What were Baddeleys findings for LTM?
- Words with similar meanings = recalled fewest words in correct order.
- Words with different meanings = recalled most words in correct order.
(All recalled after 20 mins)
What did Baddeley conclude for LTM?
Semantic code is used for LTM.
Who proposed the Multi-store Model?
Atkinson + Shiffrin.
What did the Multi-store model aim to investigate?
How memories are transferred from one store to the next.
Outline the Multi-store model:
- States we have three memory stores (sensory register, STM, LTM).
- The flow is unidirectional (one direction).
What does info pass between the sensory register to the STM in the Multi-store model?
By paying attention to it.
How does Info pass between the STM and LTM in the Multi-store model?
By rehearsing it (repeating the info).
