WORKING MEMORY DEVELOPMENT Flashcards
What is working memory (WM)?
The small amount of information that can be held in mind and used in the execution of cognitive tasks (COWAN, 2014).
Is WM different to LTM and how?
LTM is where we store information that we have gathered across our life, is stored in our head and retrieved when needed
Whereas working memory is a short-term store of current information.
Who was one of the first people to run experiments on memory?
EBBINGHAUS (1885/1913)
Describe the information processing approach to cognition
Argued against the behaviourism approach to cognition.
They argued that there is a lot of processing that goes on that isn’t necessarily visible in terms of behaviour.
The central idea that, just like a computer, humans are processing systems (we ENCODE, STORE and RETRIEVE info + then produce an ACTION [behavioural output]).
What was the behaviourist view/approach to cognition in the 1950s?
The idea that all human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning - they looked at what was observable in terms of behaviour - didn’t take note of the inner processes.
Assumptions of the information processing approach
Information moves through a series of stores (specific streams).
Information moves serially (product for one stage = input for another etc.)
Cognitive system has very limited capacity t/f tasks + mental processes are placed on a continuum relative to how much capacity they require (varies from automatic to effortful).
Who devised one of the first information processing models of memory?
Atkinson + Shiffrin (1968)
Atkinson + Shiffrin’s (1968) multi-store model of memory
We don’t just have one system or process for storing info in memory. Memory consists of several stores.
Separate storage systems with specific functions.
Current information processing model by Baddeley (2003)
Working memory - now see/understand working memory as distinct/different from LTM.
WM for holding info temporarily
Executing operations on information
Working memory has very limited capacity
The development of working memory and how we know these 4 areas
4 areas that children struggle with (so they develop over childhood):
- Encoding limitations
- Retrieval limitations (from LTM)
- Storage/capacity limitations
- Metacognitive limitations
Describe in more detail what encoding limitations are in the development of working memory
May be driven by a failure to attend to the right information or failure to use an encoding strategy.
Also to do with attention… young children have difficulties attending to only the most important aspects of a task.
- SELECTIVE attention - young children have very poor selective attention.
Encoding strategies that can be used
REHEARSAL (repetition of information)
ORGANISATION (organising information efficiently)
for example grouping into categories
ELABORATION (associating words/things)
young children are unable to make their own associations and if they do, they are less effective/distinctive elaborations.
Describe in more detail what retrieval limitations are in the development of working memory
Lack of knowledge and experience using retrieval strategies.
Children may know the retrieval strategy they need to apply but retrieve the wrong one from memory.
Describe in more detail what storage limitations are in the development of working memory
How much information can we hold in mind at any one time?
Storage capacity increases with age.
Depends on the type of information the participant may be working with.
Experience can affect storage ability.
Researchers have found that working memory span is usually 2 items less than a child’s short-term memory span.
Describe metacognitive limitations in the development of working memory in more detail
Develops as children grow older + has implications for their working memory development.
Children have poor metacognitive skills + limited experience so they may not be aware that they have memory limitations.
- this may = reduced effort remembering something.
