Lecture 2 Flashcards
Forgetting and False Memory (30 cards)
What is the Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory?
A multi-store model proposing sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM).
How does information flow in the Atkinson-Shiffrin model?
Sensory input → sensory memory → (attention) → STM → (encoding) → LTM → (retrieval) → STM.
What is the sensory register?
A brief store of sensory information lasting milliseconds; iconic (visual) and echoic (auditory).
What are the characteristics of short-term memory (STM)?
Limited capacity (about 7±2 items), duration ~20 seconds, uses acoustic encoding.
What are the characteristics of long-term memory (LTM)?
Potentially unlimited capacity and duration, uses semantic encoding.
Who proposed the working memory model and why?
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) proposed it as an alternative to STM in the modal model.
What are the four components of working memory?
Central executive, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer.
What does the central executive do?
Controls attention, coordinates subsystems, allocates resources.
What is the phonological loop responsible for?
Processing verbal and auditory information; includes phonological store and articulatory rehearsal.
What is the visuospatial sketchpad responsible for?
Processing visual and spatial information, like navigation or mental imagery.
What is the episodic buffer?
A temporary store that integrates information from subsystems and LTM (added in 2000).
What is encoding specificity?
Memory is improved when context at encoding matches the context at retrieval.
What is retrieval failure?
The inability to recall information due to insufficient cues.
What are context-dependent and state-dependent memory?
Context: same environment; State: same physiological/emotional state at encoding and retrieval.
What is consolidation?
The process of stabilising a memory trace after initial acquisition.
What role does sleep play in consolidation?
Sleep enhances consolidation of newly learned information, especially during slow-wave sleep.
What is declarative memory?
Memory for facts and events; consciously accessible.
What is procedural memory?
Memory for skills and actions; not consciously accessible.
What are the two types of declarative memory?
Episodic (events) and semantic (facts).
What brain region is crucial for episodic memory?
The hippocampus.
What is false memory?
A distorted or fabricated recollection of something that didn’t occur.
What is the DRM paradigm?
A technique for inducing false memories using lists of semantically related words.
What did Laney et al. (2008) demonstrate about false memory?
People can develop false memories of loving a food (e.g., asparagus), altering behaviour.
Why are false memories important in psychology?
They show memory is reconstructive, affecting legal cases and therapy.
