Lecture 17 - Encoding and retrieval Flashcards
(31 cards)
What is the Levels of Processing (LOP) theory?
- Craik & Lockhart (1972) proposed that memory performance is determined by the depth of processing at encoding
- Deeper (semantic) processing leads to better memory than shallow (perceptual or phonemic) processing
How did Craik & Tulving (1975) study different processing tasks? What did they find?
They presented participants with words and asked:
- Is it in capital letters? (shallow)
- Does it rhyme with “weight”? (intermediate)
- Does it fit the sentence “The man peeled the ___?” (deep)
- Results showed deeper semantic processing led to better recall, independent of task difficulty
How did Craik & Tulving (1975) rule out task difficulty as a confound?
They made the shallow condition (e.g., complex visual pattern matching) more difficult and still found deeper processing led to significantly better recall, showing it wasn’t due to time or effort
What is a criticism of the levels of processing (LOP) theory?
- It may be circular: better memory defines depth, and depth predicts memory
- It’s unclear whether processing features occur in sequence or parallel
What is Transfer-Appropriate Processing? (TAP)?
- Memory is best when encoding and retrieval processes match
- E.g., Phonemic encoding leads to better recall in a rhyming test, even if it’s shallow (Morris et al. 1977)
What did Morris, Brantford & Franks (1977) show about TAP?
- Deep encoding (semantic) best for standard recognition
- Rhyme encoding best for rhyme recognition
- This supports match between encoding and retrieval, not just depth
Why is semantic processing effective? (2 reasons)
- Elaboration: deeper meaning integrates info with existing knowledge (Craik & Tulving, 1975 - complex vs simple sentences)
- Distinctiveness: creates unique, discriminable memory traces (Gallo et al., 2008 - false recognition is lower with deep processing)
How does organisation affect memory?
- Tulving & Pearlstone (1966) showed that categorised word lists are easier to recall
- People naturally organise unrelated words into clusters (Tulving 1962), aiding recall
What did Bower et al. (1969) show about organised material?
Participants recalled more mineral names when organised hierarchally than when scrambled -> organisation enhances memory
What are the risks of organisation based on prior knowledge?
It may lead to distortion:
- “Droodles” (Bower et al., 1975) - prior labels influenced memory
- Carmichael et al. (1932) - labels distorted memory drawings
Suggests that bias arises during retrieval, not encoding (Prentice, 1954)
What is context-dependent memory? (give research)
- Godden & Baddeley (1975): divers remembered best when learning and recall contexts matched (e.g., land-land, water-water)
- Effects are stronger delays and can be mentally reinstated
What is state-dependent memory? (give research example)
- Memory is better when internal states (e.g., drug or mood) match across encoding and retrieval
- Miles & Hardman (1988) - people recalled better if they exercised or rested in both phases
What did Miles & Hardman (1998) show about physiological states?
Participants who encoded and retrieved under the same heart rate condition (exercise or rest) recalled 20% more words
How does retrieval strategy affect recall? (give research)
- Recent memories cue older ones
- E.g., Whitten & Leonard (1981): participants recalled more teachers’ names when starting from recent years
How does retrieval persepctive influence memory?
- Strategic retrieval improves recall
- E.g., Anderson & Pritchett (1978): Participants read a story from the view of a burglar or homebuyer. They remembered different details based on perspective.
- Changing perspective later led to better recall of new-relevant details -> strategic retrieval improves recall
Who proposed the LOP theory?
Craik & Lockheart (1972)
What determines memory strength in the LOP model?
Depth of processing
In Craik & Tulving, which task had the best memory performance?
Semantic sentence fit task
Is LOP confounded by task difficulty?
No - deep processing outfperformed even difficult shallow tasks
What is the main limitation of the LOP model?
Circular logic and unclear process order
Briefly, what is TAP (Transfer-Appropriate Processing)?
Memory improves when encoding matches retrieval demands/processing
Who found that rhyme encoding led to better rhyme test performance, even if shallow?
Morris et al. (1977)
Why does deeper encoding help memory?
Elaboration and distinctiveness
Briefly, what did Gallo et al. (2008) show?
Fewer false memories ater deep encoding
