Nature Of The Sensory Register (MSM)

Question 1

Describe the coding of the sensory register

Answer 1

1) There is very little coding as info remains in its raw form

2) Its modality specific
• iconic = visual
• echoic = sound
• haptic = touch

Question 2

Describe the duration of the sensory register

Answer 2

1) 1/2 second iconic duration

2) 3 second echoic duration

Question 3

Describe the capacity of the sensory register

Answer 3

1) IT IS VERY LARGE

Question 4

What was Sperling’s research into the DURATION of sensory memory?

Answer 4

• Participants presented with grids (3ROW4LETTER)

• Participants could only recall 4-5 letters but guessed the total number of letters was 12

—> While all letters entered SR, most faded before they could’ve been reported

—> Time it takes to recall letters in just 1 row is quicker than whole grid as it avoids fading issue
—> Large capacity but limited
duration (0.5s)

Question 5

What was Sperling’s research into the CAPACITY of the sensory register?

Answer 5

• Participants asked to remember 1 row from the grid

• Participants remembered 3-4 letters (75-100%)

—> Suggets iconic memory could hold 9-12 items but faded before they could all be reported

—> Participants didn’t know which line to recall, but still had better recall then original experiment
—> suggests all letters had been
available in SR