memory Flashcards
(32 cards)
what does the multi-store model of memory consist of?
- sensory register
- short term memory
- long term memory
what are the features of each store in the multi store memory model?
- coding
- capacity
- duration
who created the multi store memory model?
Atkinson and Shiffrin
what is the duration, capacity and encoding method of the sensory store?
- duration = less than 0.5 seconds
- capacity = very high
- encoding = iconic and echoic/ from senses
what is the duration, capacity and encoding method of the short-term memory?
- duration = 18-30 seconds
- encoding = acoustic
- capacity = limited (5-9 items)
what is the duration, capacity and encoding method of long-term memory?
- duration = potentially permanent
- capacity = unlimited
- encoding = semantic
how does information move from the sensory register to the short term memory according to the multi store model?
attention
how is information held in short term memory according to the MSM?
maintenance rehearsal
how is information transferred from the short term to long term memory according to the MSM?
elaborate rehearsal
how is information pulled back from the long term to short term memory according to the MSM?
retrieval
what is the meaning of capacity?
how much information a memory store can retain
what is the meaning of duration?
how long a memory store can retain information for
what is the meaning of encoding?
the form in which memory stores gain information
what is the sensory register?
- first stage of MSM
- contains sensory information that you are receiving at all times
what is the research evidence for the capacity of the sensory register?
- sperling
- got PPTs to recall as many letters from a 12 symbol grid
- grid displayed for 50 milliseconds
- ppts could only recall 4 symbols even though they reported seeing more
- demonstrates rapid decay of info in sensory register and that it can only store a few items at a time
what is the research evidence for the duration of the sensory register?
- Walsh and Thompson
- flashed image of O twice
- very brief interval
- ppts reported seeing a continuous stimulus
- found that sensory register has duration of around half a second
what is short term memory?
the memory of the present or immediate past
what is the research evidence for the capacity of the short term memory?
- Jacobs
- tested STM with serial digit span method
- presented PPTs with increasing long lists of numbers or letters
- PPTs had to immediately try to recall them in the right order
- found the capacity to be 7-9 digits
what is chunking when referring to the short term memory?
- discovered by Miller
- a way to increase STM capacity
- grouping together pieces of information
what is the research evidence for the duration of the short term memory?
- peterson and peterson
- studied how long info stays in STM without rehearsal
- PPTs were read a nonsense trigram with 3 consonants and then 3 letters
- asked to count back in 3s or 4s and then asked to recall letters from trigram
- 90% recall after 3 seconds
- 2% recall after 18 seconds
what is the evidence of multiple stores in the MSM?
- Clive Wearing
- had a stroke
- can remember all previous long term memories
- can’t create new memories
what is the research evidence for the duration of long term memory?
- Bahrick et al
- asked 392 American ex-highschool students
aged 17-74 to put names to the faces of their old classmates - graduated less than 15 years ago = 90% correct
- after 47 years = down to 60% for faces and 80% for names
what is the research evidence for the capacity of the long term memory?
- Wagenaar
- created a diary of 2400 events over 6 years
- tested himself on recall of events rather than dates
- found he had excellent recall
- shows large capacity as he was able to remember 6 years worth of events
what does brain scanning research show about the stores in the multi store memory model?
- different parts of the brain are shown as active on an MRI scan when different parts of the memory are being used
- prefrontal lobes active when using STM
- hippocampus active when using LTM
