2.1.6 Developmental psych in Memory Flashcards
Define ‘developmental differences’.
Differences in development experienced between different people.
Give an example of a developmental difference in cognitive psychology.
The STM being impaired due to problems with development.
Define ‘processing speed’.
The rate at which information is processed.
Using the Working Memory Model, explain how people may experience developmental differences in their memory.
Dyslexia is caused by impairment in the phonological loop which causes developmental differences in the capacity of their STM will be smaller as their subvocal rehearsal is impaired causing slower processing speeds.
Evaluate a strength of using the WMM as an explanation for developmental differences in memory for dyslexics.
P - Smith-Spark’s (2010) research supports
E - They found that dyslexics had unimpaired spatial memory but verbal memory was impaired
E - Therefore showing a deficit in the phonological loop but not in the visuo-spatial sketchpad so theres developmental diffs in LTM for dyslexic community
Evaluate a weakness of using the WMM as an explanation for developmental differences in memory for dyslexics.
P - Low task validity
E - Experiments involve artificial tasks such as recalling a sequence of digits in the right order
E - Therefore this lacks mundane realism of what memory would be like and so reduces credibility of explaining memory in everyday life
How do the results of McDougall’s (1994) study explain developmental differences in memory?
Divided 90 children into 3 reading groups: poor, moderate, good)
Good readers can articulate words quickly leading to a greater number of words being held in their phonological loop
Poor readers read out words more slowly leading to fewer words being held in their phonological loop
Showing poor readers have developmental differences to good readers in their STM
Evaluate a strength of McDougall’s (1994) study as an explanation for developmental differences in memory.
P - High task validity
E - He tasked ppts with reading aloud which is an everyday activity that occurs for younger people in school and older people in working life
E - Therefore has mundane realism making findings more credible to explaining developmental differences in memory in real life
How do the results of Alloway’s (2008) study explain developmental differences in memory?
Studied 46 children (aged 6-11yrs) and found that learning disabilities may be due to deficits in the STM
Children with dyslexia have trouble processing speech sounds in their phonological loop
They can’t hold speech sounds long enough to bind them together to form a word due to impaired subvocal rehearsal
Showing people with dyslexia have developmental differences in their memory of speech sounds to form words
Evaluate a weakness of Alloway’s (2008) study as an explanation for developmental differences in memory.
P - Low ecological validity
E - Research was carried out in an artificial environment that was unfamiliar to the 46 children (aged 6-11yrs)
E - Therefore their memory performance under these conditions may not reflect their performance in real life when they feel more comfortable in their surroundings
Define ‘digit span’.
The capacity of how many items you can hold in your STM at any one time.
How do the results of Sebastian and Hernandez-Gil’s (2012) study explain developmental differences in memory?
Digit span increased from 3.7 (5) to 5.9 (17) showing a developmental difference between those ages
Average digit span of a 8 year old (4.6) is significantly higher than that of a 5 year old (3.7) showing subvocal rehearsal develops aged 7
Evaluate a strength of using Sebastian and Hernandez-Gil’s (2012) study as an explanation for developmental differences in memory
P - High reliability
E - Standardised procedure of saying one digit on the sequence per second
E - Therefore the controls in research allows for easy replication to compare for consistency of developmental differences in memory
Evaluate a weakness of using Sebastian and Hernandez-Gil’s (2012) study as an explanation for developmental differences in memory.
P - Low task validity
E - The task of recalling digits in order with another being added each time the order is recalled correctly is not an everyday activity to do with memory
E - Findings therefore lack mundane realism and so won’t reflect developmental differences in memory in real life
What is Alzheimer’s?
A disease that causes progressive mental deterioration.
