memory Flashcards
(42 cards)
who made multi store memory model
atkinson and shiffrin
explain the multistore memory model
-human memory has 3 distinct stores; sensory memory, STM and LTM
this is divided into echoic and iconic memory
attention needs to be paid for information to be passed on from the STM to the LTM. The capacity of the STM is limited, if new information enters the STM memory the old information is pushed out due to the limited capacity (7+/-2) info is coded acoustically
stays for approx 18 seconds
when information reaches the LTM it has unlimited capacity and is coded semantically
info can be lost due to interference
evaluation of the multi store memory model
+jacobs supports as he found pps recalled an average of 9.3 numbers and 7.3 letters on a memory test. This shows the capacity of STM is limited
- most of the research to support the theory is lab-based which means that it lacks ecological validity as it doesn’t reflect how the memory works in real life- difficult to value the theory - model is oversimplified so doesn’t take into account the nature of the information and how easy it is to remember each thing
+case of clive wearing supports the theory as he lost his long term memory but not his short term memory- this shows that the ST and LT memory are separate
-However, this case lacks generalisability as it was only one unique case so can’t rely on it as supporting evidence
- may forget info even when you rehearse it eg in an exam. This suggests that rehearsal is nit the most important part of memory but what you do with the information is more important.
what is coding
the format in which information is stored in memory
what study supports coding
Baddely- coding in STM and LTM
explain baddely’s coding experiment
AIM
explore the effects of acoustic and semantic encoding in STM and LTM. The pps were presented with a random sequence of 5 words in the following categories
-acoustically similar words
-acoustically dissimilar words
-semantically similar words
-semantically dissimilar words
pps had to recall the words in order immediately after to test STM
to test LTM each list of words was extended to ten and presented four times. Recall was tested after an interval of 20 minutes during the time the patients were prevented from recalling the words.
CONCLUSION
pps had difficulty remembering acoustically similar words in STM but not LTM
pps had difficulty remembering semantically similar words in the LTM but not the STM
STM relies on acoustic encoding
LTM relies on semantic encoding
what does capacity mean
the amount of information that can be held in a memory state
who studies capacity
jacobs- capacity of STM
explain jacobs study
AIM
measure capacity of STM
digit span technique was used
pps presented with a sequence of letters or numbers which comprised of at least 3 digits
all letters were used apart from w and 7 because they had 2 syllables
had to serial recall the digits straight after
increased the amount of digits by 1 everytime until pps only accurately recalled 50% of the time
CONCLUSION
difference for capacity of numbers and letters easier to recall numbers
average recall 9.3 numbers and 7.3 letters
what does duration mean
length of time information can be kept in the memory
who studies duration
perterson and perterson- duration of STM
bahrick et al- duration of LTM
explain peterson and petersons study
AIM
24 uni students presented with a nonsense trigram
read aloud to pps
immediately after pps had to count backward in 3s until told to stop
pps were asked to recall trigram with different retention intervals
CONCLUSION
80% of items were recalled correctly with a 3 second interval
10% items were recalled correctly with an 18-second interval
explain bahrick et al research
AIM
establish length of memories that can be retained
392 graduates from an american high school were provided with a memory test
free recall- pps remeber names of people who they graduated with
photo recognition- pps were given a group of names and had to match names with photos
photo recall- pps name people in the photos
name recognition- pps identified nsames from a list
CONCLUSION
photo and name recognition were 90% correct 34 years after graduation
48 years after pps were 80% accurate in name recognition and 40% photo recognition
free recall- 60% accurate 15 years later 30% accurate after 48 years
evaluation for coding capacity and duration
- wouldnt be asked these questions in real life so lacks ecological validity
+lab experiment so high control variables and standardised so can replicate
-research conducted a long time ago so has temporal validity issues
-research was based on limited samples so hard to generlise
who did the working memory model
baddely and hitch
explain the working memory model
theory of short term memory
different types
-central executive- important component of working memory model and acts like a conductor- coordinates the activity of the two slave systems
limited capacity
-phonological loop- responsible for processing phonological info (sounds)
can store for around 20-30 seconds
2 subcomponents- phonological store and the articulatory process
info decays after 2 secs
-visuo-spacial sketch pad- inner eye
capacity of 3-4 objects
-eposodic buffer-
binds all info together
capacity is 4 chunks
evaluation of the working memory model
+baddelly et al- aim to test the capacity of the phonological loop- 5 short words or 5 long words
recalled more shot words compared to long words
estimates capacity is 1.5 seconds
+ evidence from PET scans
- vague and difficult to test scientifically- specifically the central executive.
- ethical issues- require dual tasks which cause distress
+ wmm is useful and is often used to help recruit for certain jobs. for example the us airforce. results on a us recruits wmm capacity correlated with scores on their intelligence test. can be used as a measure of intelligence in real life.
explanations of forgetting
interference theory
retrieval failure theory
interference theory
occur in LTM
pieces of info conflict with each other
usually between old and new memories
memory is available but just needs accessing
2 types
proactive- old memory interferes with a new one
retroactive- new memory interferes with an old one
evaluation of the interference theory
-most of the research used to support this theory is lab-based so lacks ecological validity and not representative of life
-theory states that absence of cues results in forgetting, claims that cues available during learning are absent during recall- contradicts interference theory
- doesn’t take into account that certain types of info might be forgotten more easily
+ used to apply in real life education- students should avoid revising similar things in the same space of time
what is retrieval failure theory
-cue dependent forgetting applies to long term memory , suggests that forgetting occurs due to the lack of cues for retrieval
-cues are bits of info to guide us to what we are looking for
context dependent recall- depends on cue from external enviroment. recall is more likely to occur if the learning enviroment is similar to the recall enviroment
state dependent recall- this requires a physiological cue.
evaluation of the retrieval theory
+ godden and baddely- studied 18 divers at a university diving club in scotland. Given word lists to learn. carried out over 4 days. everyone took part in both conditions. either presented at the beach or 20ft under sea. asked recall would either be same location or different. List presented twice with 10 second gap. the pps heard 15 digits and had to either stay where they were or move. Waited 4 mins then recalled. FINDINGS- recall was 50% higher when took place in same enviroment
-this study lacked ecological validity as its not reflective of real life. may not be useful to support the model
+ useful. explains ‘tip of the tongue’ phenomena- explains real life behaviour
+ real life application- used in exam performance.
what study was used to investigate leading questions in eye witness testomonies
loftus and palmer- verb study
what was loftus and plamers study on leading questions
investigate whether leading questions affected speed estimates of a car involved in an accident
45 pps were placed in 5 conditions of a lab experiment, pps watched 7 clips about the car crash and then asked qus
verb was changed- bump hit collided smashed contacted and had to estimate speed of car
CONCLUSION
smashed+ highest estimated speed 40.8 mph
contacted + lowestr speed estimated 31.8 mph