memory Flashcards
what is memory
the mental processes involved in registering, storing and retrieving info
what is short-term memory?
Limited capacity system for storing info for short periods of time
what is long-term memory?
unlimited capacity system for storing info for long periods of time
what is the research for coding
baddley
acoustically sim, dissim
semantically sim, dissim
stm- worse in acoustic sim
ltm- worse on semantically sim
stm coded acoustic
ltm coded semantic
what is the eval for research in coding
clear diff between ltm stm- two diff memory stores
artificial stimuli- no meaning
what is the research on capacity
jacob’s
researcher reads out five digits participant recalls if correct then reads out six and so on until participant cannot recall
found that mean digit span was 9.3 and for letters 7.3
chunking- miller noted things often come in 7s
said span of stm was 7 plus or minus two
what is the evaluation for the research on capacity
Jacob’s study has been replicated so high validity
May have overestimated short-term memory capacity is around four or five rather than seven
Artificial stimulus
what is the research into duration?
STM- Peterson and Peterson- 24 students given consonant syllables (YGT) to remember also given three digit number to count backwards from ( prevent rehearsal) told to stop after 3,6,9, 12,15,18 secs
Three seconds 80%
18/ seconds 3%
LTM- high school books
First photo recognition second recall test of names
Within 15 years 90% accurate photo - 48 years 70% photos
15 years 60% names
48 years 30% names
what is the evaluation for research on duration?
Meaningless stimuli
Long-term memory high external validity names and faces is meaningful
Importance of cues
what is the multi store memory?
describes how info flows through memory system suggests memory is made up of three stores
Sensory register - several registers for the different senses duration of this memory is very brief info only passes further if attention is paid to it
Short-term memory - coded mainly lasts around 18 seconds limited capacity can only contain some before forgetting if info rehearsed enough goes into long-term memory
LTM potentially permanent for rehearsed info coded semantically duration may be a lifetime when we recall from LTM goes back to STM
What is the evaluation of the MSM?
research support- baddely shows that STM and LTM are coded differently. Proves evidence to support they are separate store
Case study evidence Clive wearing -LTM still intact
Too simplistic research shows there is more to the LTM and STM- LTM is multi component
what is the theory for the different types of long-term memory?
tulving - realised M was too simplistic proposed there are three LTM stores
Episodic - events from our lives, complex, have to make effort to recall
Semantic - shared knowledge of the world, not timestamp, constantly being added to, less likely to forget
Procedural - actions or skills, record unconscious
Automatic process
What is the evaluation for the different types of long-term memory?
clinical evidence, Clive wearing
Real world application - psychologists can use to help people with memory problems can distinguish between types allowing for specific treatment
Issues with links - episodic may be subcategory of semantic
What is the working memory model?
an explanation of the short-term memory and how it functions
Central executive - monitors incoming data and allocate slave systems to tasks
Phonological loop - auditory info and preserves order of info : includes phonological store which stores the words you hear and articulary process allows maintenance rehearsal to keep them in your head
Visual spatial sketchpad - visual info: visual cache store visual data in a scribe records arrangement of objects in visual
Episodic buffer is a temporary store for all
What is the evaluation for the working memory model?
research support- KF after brain injury had poor short-term memory for auditory but could process visual normally
dual task performance badly driving badly
Lack of clarity of central executive
Doesn’t talk about other senses
what are the two explanations for forgetting?
Interference and retrieval failure
what is the theory for and the research into interference
when two pieces of info disrupt each other resulting in forgetting of one or both
Proactive - when an older memory interferes with a new one- teacher struggling to remember names of New class
Retroactive - when a new memory interferes with an older one- e.g. teacher cannot remember past students due to new ones
Research on effect of similarity - research has made participants learn lists of 10 words then had to learn new words
Group one - synonyms
Group 2 - antonyms
Group 3 - unrelated
Group 4 - consonant syllables
Group 5 -3 digit numbers
Group 6- no new words
When asked to recall first list synonyms had worst recall shows interference is strongest when memories are similar
what is the evaluation for interference?
Real world examples- badly asked rugby players to record names of teams they had played, players had played most games poorest recall
Interference and queues - is temporary and can be overcome using cues
High internal validity - most from lab studies so EVs controlled
In research tasks given too close in time to each other does not mirror every day life
what is the theory and the study into retrieval failure?
Insufficient May due to cues - cues not available on recall
Tulving- Encoding specificity principal- states that a cue must be both present at encoding and retrieval if cues are different there will be forgetting
Context dependent forgetting - depends on external queue place
State dependent forgetting - depends on an internal queue EG feelings at the time
Research on context- divers land and water accurate recall 40% lower in non-matching context
Research on state - same but when drunk and not drunk when not same conditions recall was much worse
what is the evaluation for retrieval failure?
Real world app- queues e.g. forgetting something walking back to remember
Context affect made depend on type of memory - end divers research when recognition no context dependent effect
Research support
Very extreme - unlikely to be too environments is different as water and land
what is the research for misleading information?
Particular issue for eyewitness testimony
Research - Loftus and Palmer
45 participants watched clips of car crash different words used in question asked how fast they were going
contacted- 31 mph
Smashed - 41 mph
Substitution explanation - Word smashed caused people to say there was broken glass
Another study- study in pairs same crime different angle participant could see things the other could not then given time to discuss
71% recall aspect from other video
Altered memories or go as long as they feel they might be wrong
what is the evaluation for misleading information?
Real world application- research can be used and is important in the justice system. Consequences of not accurate. I witness testimony can be serious. Careful phrasing of questions.
Study lack external val - crashes in real life anxiety plays a key part
Individual differences - less accurate than age bias can occur
what is the research into the effects of anxiety?
Weapon focus-
Group one - Loki argument person emerged with a pen and grease on hands- 49% accurate ID of person
Group 2 - heated discussion sound of glass breaking man with letter opener with blood- 33% accuracy
Positive effect on recall - fight or flight increases alertness
Shooting at a gun shop 13 took part in study interviewed a few months after incident asked to comment on how stressed they were
Participants reporting high levels of stress most accurate
Yerkes Dobson effect
There is a perfect amount of anxiety, which is medium
what is the evaluation of the effects of anxiety?
May be unusualness, not anxiety- pickle Mensch using scissors, handgun wallet or a raw chicken, eyewitness testimony was as poor for chicken as gun
Ethical issues with study - deception not told truth- purposely putting them in a high anxiety situation
Experiment natural experiment meaning there may be other factors that affected the situations
