memory Flashcards
coding
the format in which information is stored in the various memory stores
capacity
amount of information that can be held in a memory store
duration
length of time information can be held in a memory store
short term memory
- limited capacity
- coding - mainly acoustic
- between 5-9 terms
- duration betwen 18-30 secs
long term memory
- permanent
- coding - mainly semantic
- unlimited capacity
- can store memories for a lifetime
peterson and peterson (1959)
- A lab experiment where 24 participants shown very briefly meaningless trigrams
- 3 sec - 80% of trigrams recalled
6 sec - 50%
18 sec - less than 10% - Study shows when verbal rehearsal is prevented information in the STM lasts 18 seconds
eval of peterson
+ lab with high levels of control - possible to repeat the study improving its reliability
- lacks ecological validity, artificial task
bahrick (1975)
- 392 participants aged 17-74 using high school yearbooks
recall was tested:
1. photo-recognition test from 50photos
2. free recall test where ppts recalled all names from class - recall started from 90% and declined to 30% after 48 years
- shows LTM has a very long duration
eval of bahrick
+ ecological validity
- field experiment - difficult to control for confounding variables
miller
established digit span was between 5-9, with the avergae being 7
baddeley (1966)
encoding in stm is acoustic
encoding in ltm is semantic
episodic
LTMs of events/experiences in our lives, time-stamped, consciously recalled
semantic
knowledge of the world, more complex than ‘facts’
procedural
skilled behaviour e.g riding a bike
working memory model
baddeley and hitch (1974) - theoretical cognitive model of information processing in stm
central executive
controls working memory by allocating resources and making decisions about what information should be processed
phonological loop
processes verbal material
phonological store
temporary storage of verbal material
articulatory process
maintenance rehearsal
visuo-spatial sketchpad
processes visual and spatial information by storing (visual cache) and manipulating information (inner scribe)
episodic buffer
integrates information processed in the other subsystems and links with LTM
interference
forgetting because one memory blocks another, causing one or both memories to be distorted or forgotten
retroactive interference
new information disrupting retrieval of old
proactive interference
old information disrupting retrieval of new