memory Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is memory?
Memory is the process by which we retain information about events that have happened in the past.
What is Short-Term Memory (STM)?
STM is your memory for immediate events. It has a limited duration and capacity, and memories fade unless rehearsed. It’s often referred to as working memory, used in language comprehension, problem-solving, etc.
What is Long-Term Memory (LTM)?
LTM is your memory for past events. It lasts from 2 minutes to 100 years, and it has potentially unlimited capacity and duration.
What is memory duration?
Duration refers to how long a memory lasts before it’s no longer available. STM doesn’t last long, while LTM can last a lifetime.
What is rehearsal in memory?
Rehearsal is the process of saying something to yourself over and over to keep a memory active and transfer it into LTM.
What are the key differences between STM and LTM?
Duration – STM has a short duration, LTM lasts from minutes to years.
Capacity – STM has limited capacity (~7 items), LTM has unlimited capacity.
Encoding – STM primarily uses acoustic encoding, while LTM uses semantic encoding (meaning).
What is memory capacity?
Memory capacity refers to how much data can be held in a memory store. STM typically holds 5-9 items (Miller’s 7±2), while LTM is thought to have unlimited capacity.
What did Miller (1956) suggest about STM capacity?
Miller proposed that STM has a capacity of 7 items, plus or minus 2, which he called the “magic number 7.” However, the amount of information per item can vary if chunked together.
What is chunking in STM?
Chunking is grouping information into larger, meaningful units, allowing us to store more information in STM beyond the 7±2 limit.
What are the three types of memory encoding?
Visual (picture)
Acoustic (sound)
Semantic (meaning)
: What encoding system is used in STM?
The main encoding system in STM is acoustic coding (based on sound).
What encoding system is used in LTM?
The main encoding system in LTM is semantic coding (based on meaning), though information can also be encoded visually and acoustically.
What is Short-Term Memory (STM) in the Multi-Store Model?
STM holds information in a fragile state.
Information decays quickly unless rehearsed.
New information entering STM can displace existing information.
How does information move from STM to LTM in the Multi-Store Model?
Information moves from STM to LTM through rehearsal.
Maintenance rehearsal holds information in STM.
The more something is rehearsed, the more lasting the memory becomes in LTM.
What is the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?
The Multi-Store Model was proposed by Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968) to explain how memory processes work. It suggests that memory consists of separate stores (STM and LTM) that interact with each other.
What is maintenance rehearsal in the MSM?
Maintenance rehearsal is the process of repeating information to keep it active in STM. The more often the information is rehearsed, the more likely it will be transferred to LTM.
What areas of the brain are associated with STM and LTM?
The prefrontal cortex is involved in STM tasks (Beardsley, 1997).
The hippocampus is active when engaging in long-term memory processes (Squire et al., 1992).
What is the role of rehearsal in the MSM?
Rehearsal helps transfer information from STM to LTM. Without rehearsal, information in STM will fade away, and only information that is rehearsed will be stored in LTM.
What did Beardsley (1997) find in relation to STM?
Beardsley (1997) found that the prefrontal cortex is active when individuals are working on tasks that involve STM.
What is a strength of the Multi-Store Model?
: A strength of the MSM is its support from empirical research, such as the serial position effect. Studies like Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) demonstrate that information presented at the start (primacy effect) and the end (recency effect) of a list is more likely to be recalled, suggesting the existence of separate STM and LTM stores.
What did Squire et al. (1992) discover about LTM?
Squire et al. (1992) found that the hippocampus is active when engaging in LTM tasks.
What is a limitation of the Multi-Store Model?
The MSM oversimplifies memory. It assumes that both STM and LTM are single stores, but later research (e.g., Tulving’s model of LTM) shows that LTM consists of different types (episodic, semantic, procedural). The MSM doesn’t account for this complexity.
What is the serial position effect, and how does it support the MSM?
The serial position effect suggests that people are more likely to remember words from the beginning (primacy effect) and end (recency effect) of a list. This supports the MSM, as it shows that information moves from STM (recency) to LTM (primacy), supporting the idea of separate stores.
What did Baddeley (1966) find about encoding in STM and LTM?
Baddeley (1966) found that STM tends to encode information acoustically (by sound), while LTM tends to encode information semantically (by meaning). This difference in encoding provides evidence for separate memory stores, as suggested in the MSM.
