4.1.2 Memory Flashcards
1
Q
memory
A
the process by which we retain information from the past
2
Q
multi-store model of memory (MSM)
A
- developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
- a cognitive approach that explains memory as a process of information passing through a series of 3 storage systems; the sensory register, to short-term memory, and then long-term memory
3
Q
processes of the MSM
A
- environmental stimuli enters the SR
- info is then passed from SR - STM through attention
- any info not encoded from the SR fades
- then from STM to LTM through rehearsal
- info not rehearsed in the STM will be lost by displacement or decay
- we can use retrieval to bring info from LTM into STM
4
Q
sensory register
A
- environmental stimuli
- coding - unprocessed information from any of the 5 senses
- duration - even less than a second
- capacity - unknown, but very large
- if we pay attention to the info, it moves to the STM, otherwise it disappears
5
Q
short-term memory
A
- the select info that the individual pays attention to
- coding - mainly acoustic (sounds)
- duration - around 30 seconds, so info is ‘fragile’ here
- capacity - between 5-9 ‘chunks’ of info
- info will disappear quickly if not rehearsed (decay) or may be ‘pushed out’ by new info (displacement)
6
Q
long-term memory
A
- rehearsed info ends up here and the more rehearsal, the stronger the memory
- coding - mainly semantic (based on meaning), but may also be acoustic or visual
- duration - potentially infinite as it can last from over 30 seconds to an entire lifetime
- capacity - potentially infinite
- info can be retrieved and temporarily transferred to STM, e.g. remembering childhood experiences
7
Q
MSM - strengths
A
- Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) researched the primary / recency effect; when immediately recalling a list of words, the first few (primary) and last few (recency) words on the list are most commonly recalled, as the first few are rehearsed so enter the LTM and the last few are still in your STM at the time of recall
- brain scans such as fMRI and PET scans have shown that the prefrontal lobe ‘lights up’ during STM tasks and the hippocampus lights up during LTM tasks, indicating that they are 2 separate stores
- Shallice and Warrington (1970) reported the case of a man named KF who had been in a motorcycle accident and had severe damage to his STM while his LTM remained intact
- Henry Molaison (HM) had a surgery, after which he was able to form ST memories but unable to form new LT memories, so he couldn’t form declarative memories (those which can be consciously recalled)
8
Q
MSM - limitations
A
- may be overly simplistic, as both the STM and LTM are more complex than the MSM suggests, e.g. WMM shows how STM consists of many different components
- doesn’t account for the different types of LTM (episodic, semantic, procedural)
- case studies shouldn’t be generalised, e.g. HM’s memory system could be different to others
- research suggests the length of time of rehearsal may not determine whether info transfers to the LTM, but it’s instead due to how deeply we process info
9
Q
types of long term memory
A
- MSM is overly simplistic and Endel Tulving (1985) suggests there’s 3 different types of LTM;
- episodic memory (explicit - conscious and easy to put into words)
- semantic memory (explicit)
- procedural memory (implicit - subconscious and to do with skills and abilities)
10
Q
episodic memory
A
- memory of previous events
- includes context, details, and emotions felt
- strong emotions cause it to be coded more strongly
- e.g. your first day at school
11
Q
semantic memory
A
- general knowledge that we’ve accumulated over time
- e.g. the capital of England is London
12
Q
procedural memory
A
- memory of skills, ability, etc.
- aids the performance of tasks without consciously recalling previous experiences
- e.g. walking, talking, riding a bike, etc.
13
Q
types of long-term memory - strengths
A
- multiple studies which support the distinction between different types of LTM
- e.g. patients with retrograde amnesia may completely forget episodic details of their lives, while still retaining perfect procedural knowledge
- HM - his episodic memory was affected but his procedural memory was still intact
- Clive Wearing - could skilfully play the piano (procedural) but was unable to remember his wife visiting him 5 minutes before (episodic)
14
Q
types of long-term memory - limitations
A
- the difference within explicit types of LTM (episodic and semantic) is less clear, as there’s significant overlap between them
- e.g. when remembering a semantic fact such as the capital of England, you may do so by recalling your episodic experience of looking at a map
- so, Cohen and Squire (1980) suggest there are 2 types of LTM instead;
- declarative memory - has to be consciously recalled, i.e. episodic and semantic
- non-declarative memory - procedural memories that don’t need to be consciously recalled
- specific case studies can’t be generalised to a whole population
15
Q
the working memory model (WMM)
A
- developed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
- it’s a more detailed model of STM in response to the over-simplification of STM in the multi-store model
- it divides STM into 4 separate components; the key one is the central executive, and then there are 3 slave systems; the phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, and episodic buffer
16
Q
WMM components
A
- central executive at the top
- LTM at the bottom
- phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, and episodic buffer connect to and from both the central executive and LTM
17
Q
central executive
A
- key component which controls the WMM
- all sensory info passes to the central executive which then decides which slave system should process it (directing attention)
- also retrieves info from the slave systems once it’s been processed by them
- deals with conflicts of attention, i.e. what needs to be prioritised (decision making)
- coding - can code any type of info, i.e. acoustic, visual, etc.
- capacity - limited - can’t hold lots of info at one time
18
Q
phonological loop
A
- first slave system
- deals with auditory info
- has two parts;
- the phonological store (inner ear); deals with speech perception
- the articulatory control process (inner voice); processes speech production and rehearses information verbally
- limited capacity and holds info for around 2 seconds before it’s lost to decay