Memory, Coding Capacity Duration

Question 1

Define Coding

Answer 1

• format in which information is stored in various memory stores

Question 2

Coding Study?

Answer 2

• Baddeley (1966)
• 4 groups: acoustically similar, acoustically dissimilar, semantically similar, semantically dissimilar words
• participants asked to recall immediately struggled with acoustically similar
• participants asked to recall 20 mins after struggled with semantically similar
• evidence LTM & STM are coded differently

Question 3

Strengths of the Studies?

Answer 3

• highly controlled: lab experiments with minimised extraneous variables, highly reliable, representative, generalisable

Question 4

Weaknesses of the Studies?

Answer 4

• demand characteristics: lab experiments, act in certain way to please experimenter, measures artificial behaviour, invalid, unrepresentative, ungeneralisable
• lacks mundane realism: lab setting, artificial situation, invalid, real setting would use names, dates, places…

Question 5

Define Capacity

Answer 5

• amount of information that can be held in a memory store

Question 6

Capacity Study?

Answer 6

• Jacobs (1887)
• measured STM with a digit span method
• gave participants 4 digit number to remember and increased number of digits until incorrect recall
• mean digit span was 9.3
• mean letter span was 7.3

Question 7

Define Duration

Answer 7

• length of time information can be held in memory

Question 8

Duration Study?

Answer 8

• STM: Peterson & Peterson (1959): 24 students, 8 trials, trigram, 3 digit number, count down from number to prevent rehearsal, told to stop after retention interval (3,6,9.. seconds) -> longer retention interval, decreased correct percentage -> STM has short duration
• LTM: Bahrick et al (1975): 392 participants, 17-74, photo recognition & free recall (names) in school -> 15 years after school, 90% accuracy in PR 60% in FR, 48 years after, 70% in PR, 30% -> LTM long duration