Memory

Question 1

What is memory

Answer 1

Memory is a change in the brain or mind following experience

Processes that retain, retrieve and use info after stimuli is no longer present

Question 2

Activity-dependent memory

Answer 2

Short-term memory

Question 3

Structural memory

Answer 3

Long term

Question 4

Early theories of memory

Answer 4

19th century - William James

Distinguished primary and secondary memory

Question 5

Primary memory

Answer 5

Things we are presently aware of

Current consciousness content

Question 6

Secondary memory

Answer 6

Mental representations of distant past
Not in current consciousness
Must be bought back by retrieval process

Question 7

Modal model of memory (basics)

Answer 7

Atkinson and shiffrin (1968)
Computer as model for human cognition
Memory is an integrated system that processes info
Eg - encoding, storage, retrieval
components do not act in isolation
Memory has a limited capacity

Question 8

Modal model of memory diagram

Answer 8

Input → sensory memory → STM → (encoding or retrieval) LTM

In STM there’s control processes - active processes that can be controlled by the person eg - rehearsal, imagery, attention

STM where output occurs

Question 9

Sensory memory

Answer 9

‘Buffer’ that briefly holds all info from senses
Vast capacity and short timescale
Collects and holds info for initial processing which helps fill in the blanks

Question 10

Iconic memory

Answer 10

Sensory memory for visual info
Helps explain persistence of vision illusion - New info blends with info already in iconic memory
Eg - sparklers trail of light

Question 11

Capacity and duration of iconic memory

Answer 11

When told where to focus memory is better
Sterling (1960) - whole report all letters 37.5%, focused (partial) report 82.5%
Delayed partial (focused) worsens performance

Question 12

Change blindness

Answer 12

An interruption erases iconic memory

Stops from registering differences in 2 scenes

Question 13

Coordination of sensory processing

Answer 13

To bind info from senses we need to be able to remember it all together
Abc/12,13,14 - context from prefrontal cortex to processing areas of brain - info needs to be held in iconic memory

Question 14

Short term memory

Answer 14

Stores small amount of info for short time
New info from senses and recalled info from LTM
Duration and capacity increased by control processes (rehersal)

Question 15

Only had STM

Answer 15

Clive wearing - medial temporal lobes damaged
Still has STM and LTM for prior damage events
No longer encode new LTM

Question 16

Duration of STM

Answer 16

When rehearsal is prevented STM has a duration of 15-20 seconds
3 Seconds interrupted recall 80%
18 seconds interrupted recall 10%

Question 17

Capacity of STM

Answer 17

Digit span task - typically remember 5-9 items

Miller’s law of 7 +/- 2

Question 18

Chunking

Answer 18

Collection of elements strongly associated with each other but weakly with other chunked items
Eg-phone number
People can improve chunking
Ericcson(1989) - trained college student from digit span of 7 to 79 after 230 1 hour sessions
Eg - chess pieces randomly positioned master and beginner performed same

Question 19

Item complexity

Answer 19

Not all items are equal - some require more mental resources to hold in memory
Eg- highest-lowest capacity = coloured shapes, Chinese letters, random polygons, shaded cubes

Question 20

Auditory coding STM

Answer 20

More likely to make mistakes with similar sounding letters eg- T V P
Less likely to make mistakes based on visual similarity
Coding of info in STM is auditory

Question 21

Visual coding STM

Answer 21

Some STM coding must be visual as we can recall complex patterns difficult to verbalise

Question 22

Semantic coding STM

Answer 22

STM must involve some semantic coding and not just lower level features (visual and auditory)

Proactive inference - previously remembered items interfere with subsequent items = cannot be recalled accurately

Memory is released from proactive interference when items come from different categories
Eg professions for 3 trials then fruit for 1 = last and first remembered much better

Question 23

Working memory

Answer 23

Limited-capacity system for temporary storage and manipulation of info for complex tasks
Eg - comprehension, learning, reasoning

Question 24

STM and working memory distinction

Answer 24

Subtle but important
STM is onecomponent of working memory
STM holds info for brief period while working memory processes and manipulates info for complex cognition
Example: STM repeat digits, working memory repeat digits in reverse

Question 25

Limitations of modal model

Answer 25

1- seem to be multiple STM stores (verbal, visual, semantic) 2- doesn't explain how info is manipulated during problem solving

Question 26

Baddeleys working memory model

Answer 26

Phonological loop and visuospatial sketch pad are STM stores with different types info coding The central executive coordinates and manipulates info from these stores eg focusing attention on relevant info

Question 27

Phonological loop

Answer 27

Specialised for verbal and auditory info 2 parts: 1- phonological store: where info is temporarily held 2- articulatory control process: ‘inner speech’ -has a fixed duration and constantly repeats info from store to prevent it disappearing

Question 28

Evidence for phonological loop

Answer 28

1: phonological similarity effect- letters/words most likely to be mistaken for similar sounding ones 2: articualtory suppression: repeating a seperate word aloud interrupts with working memory for verbal stimuli 3: word length effect: memory's poorer for long words - long words take longer to rehearse so phonological loop gets to practice less in its fixed duration

Question 29

Visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 29

Stores visual and spatial info eg- maps, pictures, objects Mental images Evidence for mental imagery is from mental rotation studies (cube diagrams more rotation = longer reaction time)

Question 30

Distinct phonological and visuospatial memory stores

Answer 30

Brooks (1968) - participants memorised sentences in either store then mentally considered words and answered with either store. Participates were slower when responses required same memory store as the stimulus uses to be memorised

Question 31

Central executive

Answer 31

Controls focus of attention (focus, switching, divided attention) Controls suppression of irrelevant info Also retrieves and manipulates info from stores What makes working memory work

Question 32

Engrams

Answer 32

Memories are stored in cell assemblies called engrams Re-activation of engrams by recall strengthens connections between cells = consolidation of memory Nuerons that fire together wire together Same cells can be used in many engrams

Question 33

Double dissociation

Answer 33

Different memory stores are described as dichotomies | Some people blind but not deaf show double dissociation between sight and vision = senses must be independent in brain

Question 34

Anterograde amnesia

Answer 34

Inability to form new memories

Question 35

Retrograde amnesia

Answer 35

Inability to access old memories

Question 36

Double dissociation: STM and LTM

Answer 36

Patient 1: temporal lobotomy = anterograde amnesia effects specific to declarative memory (explicit memory) Patient 2: Damage parietal lobe = poor verbal STM, visospational STM intact (can read) and form LTMs

Question 37

Semantic memory

Answer 37

Holds info for facts Eg- Brisbane is QLD biggest City Type of explicit memory

Question 38

Episodic memory

Answer 38

Holds memories of experiences. Events Eg - I remember when I was in Brisbane we travelled to the zoo Type of explicit memory

Question 39

Double dissociation: episodic and semantic memory

Answer 39

Patient 1: medial temporal lobe and hippocampus damage = severe anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia for episodic memory but intact semantic memory Patient 2: left temporal lobe damage = impaired semantic memory

Question 40

LTM and temporal lobe

Answer 40

LTM deficits = temporal lobe damage Within temporal lobe hippocampus important for laying down new LTMs Doesn't mean memories stored in temporal lobe - more likely its crucial in retrieval No single place for LTM storage

Question 41

Working memory and prefrontal cortex

Answer 41

Delayed response task and single neuron recordings in monkeys show that the prefrontal cortex is important for working memory

Question 42

Distributed representations

Answer 42

Like other memory types, working memory relies on distributed neural representations Primary auditory cortex involved in auditory working memory - more activation in 2 back than 0 back (because requires working memory to manipulate in 2 back)

Question 43

Explicit and implicit memory

Answer 43

Explicit is declarative and conscious | Implicit is non-declarative and unconscious

Question 44

Where is explicit memory held

Answer 44

Medial temporal lobe

Question 45

Types of implicit memory.

Answer 45

Procedural memory - know cake recipe Perceptual priming Classical conditioning Non-associative learning - habitation or sensitisation