Memory Flashcards
Coding
The format in which information is stored in the various memory stores.
Capacity
The amount of information that can be held in a memory store.
Duration
The length of time information can be held in memory.
Short-term memory (STM)
The limited capacity memory store. Coding is mainly acoustic, capacity is between 5 and 9 items on average, duration is between about 18 and 30 seconds.
Long-term memory (LTM)
The permanent memory store. Coding is mainly semantic, it has unlimited capacity and can store memories for up to a lifetime.
Multi-store model (MSM)
A representation of how memory works in terms of the sensory register, STM and LTM.
It also describes how information is transferred from one store to another and how it is remembered and forgotten.
Sensory register
The memory stores for each of our 5 senses, such as vision (iconic store) and hearing (echoic store).
The capacity of sensory registers is huge but information lasts for a very short time.
Episodic memory
A long term memory store for personal events.
Semantic memory
A long term memory store for our knowledge of the world.
Procedural memory
A long-term memory store for our knowledge of how to do things.
Working memory model (WMM)
A representation of STM.
It suggests that STM is a dynamic processor of different types on information using sub-units coordinated by a central decision making system.
Central Executive (CE)
The component of the WMM that co-ordinates the activities of three subsystems in memory. It also allocates processing resources to those activities.
Phonological loop (PL)
The component of the WMM. that processes information in terms of sound. This includes. it’s written and spoken material. It’s divided into the phonological store and the articulacy process.
Visuo-Spacial Sketchpad (VSS)
The component of the WMM that processes visual and special information in a mental space often called our ‘inner eye’.
Episodic buffer (EB)
The component of the WMM that brings together material from other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands. It also provides a bridge between working memory and long term memory.
