Memory Key Words

Question 1

What is coding in memory?

Answer 1

The format in which information is stored in the various memory stores.

Question 2

What is capacity in memory?

Answer 2

The amount of information that can be held in a memory store.

Question 3

What is duration in memory?

Answer 3

The length of time information can be held in memory.

Question 4

What does semantic refer to in memory?

Answer 4

Relating to meaning.

Question 5

What is sensory register?

Answer 5

The memory stores for each of our five senses, such as vision and hearing. Coding is sense specific; the capacity is huge, and information lasts for a very short time - less than half a second (duration).

Question 6

What is short-term memory (STM)?

Answer 6

The limited capacity memory store. Coding is acoustic; capacity is between 5 and 9 items and duration is between about 18 and 30 seconds.

Question 7

What is long-term memory (LTM)?

Answer 7

The permanent memory store. Coding is mainly semantic; it has unlimited capacity and can store memories for up to a lifetime (duration).

Question 8

What is the multi-store model (MSM)?

Answer 8

A representation of how memory works in terms of three stores called sensory register, STM and LTM. It also describes how information is transferred from one store to another, how it is remembered and how it is forgotten.

Question 9

What is the primacy effect?

Answer 9

A cognitive (memory) bias that makes people remember the first information they encounter better than the information they receive later on.

Question 10

What is the recency effect?

Answer 10

A cognitive (memory) bias that makes people remember the most recent information they encounter better than the information they receive first.

Question 11

What is episodic memory?

Answer 11

A long-term memory store for personal events. It includes memories of when the events occurred and of the people, objects, places and behaviours involved. Memories from this store have to be retrieved consciously and with effort.

Question 12

What is semantic memory?

Answer 12

A long-term memory store for our knowledge of the world, including facts and understanding of words and concepts. These memories need to be recalled deliberately.

Question 13

What is procedural memory?

Answer 13

A long-term memory store for our knowledge of how to do things, including memories of learned skills. We usually recall these memories without making a conscious deliberate effort.

Question 14

What is the working memory model (WMM)?

Answer 14

A representation of short-term memory suggesting that STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using sub-units coordinated by a central decision-making system.

Question 15

What is the central executive (CE)?

Answer 15

The component of the WMM that coordinates the activities of the three subsystems in memory and allocates processing resources to those activities.

Question 16

What is the phonological loop (PL)?

Answer 16

The component of the WMM that processes information in terms of sound, including both written and spoken material. It’s divided into the phonological store and the articulatory process.

Question 17

What is the phonological store?

Answer 17

A part of the PL which stores the words you hear.

Question 18

What is the articulatory process?

Answer 18

A part of the PL which allows maintenance rehearsal to keep words in working memory.

Question 19

What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS)?

Answer 19

The component of the WMM that processes visual and spatial information in a mental state often called our ‘inner eye’.

Question 20

What is the visual cache?

Answer 20

A part of the VSS which stores visual data.

Question 21

What is the inner scribe?

Answer 21

A part of the VSS which records the arrangement of objects in the visual field.

Question 22

What is the episodic buffer (EB)?

Answer 22

The component of the WMM that brings together material from the other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands of memory. It also provides a bridge between working memory and long-term memory.

Question 23

What is a dual task?

Answer 23

Performing two tasks at the same time that either uses both stores at the same time or different stores.

Question 24

What is interference in memory?

Answer 24

Forgetting because one memory blocks another, causing one or both memories to be distorted or forgotten.

Question 25

What is proactive interference?

Answer 25

Forgetting occurs when older memories disrupt the recall of newer memories. The degree of forgetting is greater when the memories are similar.

Question 26

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 26

Forgetting occurs when newer memories disrupt the recall of older memories. The degree of forgetting is again greater when the memories are similar.

Question 27

What is retrieval failure?

Answer 27

A form of forgetting. It occurs when we don't have the necessary cues to access memory. The memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided.

Question 28

What is a cue in memory?

Answer 28

A 'trigger' of information that allows us to access a memory. Such cues may be meaningful or may be indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning.

Question 29

What is the encoding specificity principle (ESP)?

Answer 29

If a cue is to be present at encoding (when we learn the material) and at retrieval (when we are recalling it).

Question 30

What is context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 30

Forgetting which occurs because the external cues at recall are different from those at the time of learning.

Question 31

What is state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 31

Forgetting which occurs because the emotional or physical state (internal cues) at recall is different from that at the time of learning.

Question 32

What is eyewitness testimony (EWT)?

Answer 32

The ability of people to remember the details of events, such as accidents and crimes, which they themselves have observed.

Question 33

What is misleading information?

Answer 33

Incorrect information given to the eyewitness usually after the event.

Question 34

Leading question

Answer 34

A form of misleading information. A question which, because of the way it's phrased, suggests a certain answer. ## Footnote Example: "Was the knife in the accused's left hand?" suggests there was a knife in the left hand.

Question 35

Post-event discussion

Answer 35

A form of misleading information. Occurs when there is more than one witness to an event. Witnesses may discuss what they have seen with co-witnesses or with other people, influencing the accuracy of each witness's recall.

Question 36

Anxiety

Answer 36

A state of emotional and physical arousal. The emotions include having worried thoughts and feelings of tension. Physical changes include an increased heart rate and sweatiness. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations and can affect the accuracy of EWT.

Question 37

Weapon focus

Answer 37

A witness will remember less about a crime, or the perpetrator of a crime, when a weapon is present as they will focus their attention on the weapon.

Question 38

Cognitive interview

Answer 38

A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories. It uses four main techniques, all based on well-established psychological knowledge of memory.