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A- PSY2002 S2 > PSY2002 S2 W1 Working Memory I > Flashcards

PSY2002 S2 W1 Working Memory I Flashcards

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1
Q

What is working memory

Recap of Level 1

A

Storage and processing of information in the present moment (e.g. keeping track of things & adjusting).
The ability to hold goal-relevant information in mind (active state) for ongoing task in the physical absence of this information.

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2
Q

What is flexibility?

Recap of Level 1

A

We hold anything we want in working memory – make arbitrary relationships between items.

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3
Q

Can we hold unlimited amout of information in working memory?

Recap of Level 1

A

We cannot hold too much information in working memory – we are limited in this ability.

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4
Q

What are the stages of a working memory experiment?

Recap of Level 1

A

1- Encoding [presented with information & asked to remember it]
2- Retention Interval [time people are disctracted]
3- Retrieval [asked to retrive items encoded

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5
Q

What’s the difference between Working Memory & Long-term Memory?

Recap of Level 1

A

Working Memory: Active (easily accessible), Relevant to goal/task, Immediate use, Limited capacity.

Long-term Memory: Remote (needs to be cued), Everything learned/remembered, Permanent(ish), Unlimited

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6
Q

What are two models in working memory?

A

Multicomponent model and Activation-based models

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7
Q

What is a multicomponent model ?

A

Baddeley and Kitch’s WM Model (1974)

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8
Q

What is Baddeley and Hitch’s WM multicomponent model ?

1974

A

Hierarchical organisation, Multiple components with functional responsibilities, interaction of attention, LTM with present stimuli.

Central executive

Visuospatial sketchpad
Episodic Buffer
Phonological Loop

Long Term Memory

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9
Q

What’s the central executive?

Baddeley and Hitch’s WM multicomponent model (1974)

A

Coordination of storage systems and control of attention to stimuli

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10
Q

What’s the visual sketchpad adn phonological loop?

Baddeley and Hitch’s WM multicomponent model (1974)

A

Separate storage of visuospatial and auditory information. Taste/olfaction – touch/haptics not formal components [Taste/Touch] (not well developed in the model)

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11
Q

What’s the episodic buffer?

Baddeley and Hitch’s WM multicomponent model (1974)

A

Binding of multimodal information to form episodic memories

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12
Q

How does Long term memory and Episodic buffer interact?

Baddeley and Hitch’s WM multicomponent model (1974)

A

Episodic Buffer <> Long-term Memory: Transfer of information between WM and LTM

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13
Q

What’s the Word lenght effect?

A

Language can have a profound impact on memory.
Recallectin is better for langauges with shorter speech duration of digits.

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14
Q

What are two studies that observed the word length effect?

A

Welsh (Ellis & Hennelley, 1980): Bilingual English/Welsh speakers: Can recall more English than Welsh digits: Welsh digits have a longer spoken duration. Welsh digits are longer to say which is why bilingual (Welsh/English) have a longer time to retrieve Welsh digits.

Chinese (Stigler et al., 1986): Better Chinese digit span: Chinese digits have a short-spoken duration

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15
Q

What is articulatory suppression?

A

The uttering of an irrelevant word ‘the, the, the’ whilst being presented with words to remember.

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16
Q

How was word lenght effect adn articulatory suppression interact?

Baddeley et al. (1975)

A

Articulatory Suppression abolishes the word-length effect with visual presentation -> participants can’t transform words into phonological codes

Word-length effect not abolished with auditory presentation presumably as words enter straight into the phonological store.

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17
Q

What does the suppression of word lenght effect suggest?

A

Suggests that suppression occupies the articulatory control processes (for visual presentation) but does not prevent direct access to phonological store (for auditory presentation).

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18
Q

What is phonology similarity effect?

A

The tendency for recall to be depressed where the items ‘sound’ similar in working memory. (Baddeley, 1966)

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19
Q

What is semantic similarity?

A

Words that are similar in meaning have no impact on working memory.

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20
Q

What does phonology similarity effect suggest?

A

suggests coding is phonological

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21
Q

Give an example of phonologically not similar words?

A

Bay, sea, top, knot, face, dab, row, lit, rock

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22
Q

Give an example of phonologically similar words?

A

Fee, he, knee, she, tea, plea, key, bee, dee

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23
Q

What are some different areas in which multicomponent models have assumptions?

A

Central executive, storage systems, episodic buffer

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24
Q

What is the multicomponent model’s assumption of the central executive?

A

essential in mediating where the attention is allocated [Flexible allocation of attention]

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25
What is the multicomponent model's assumption of the storae systems?
[domain-specific short-term storage] domain is the item phonological or visual. separate storage bins.
26
What is the multicomponent model's assumption of the episodic buffer?
[Binding of information from different sources] merging things together. Why is it important? Is there evidence supporting that?
27
What are the areas in the multicomponent model with problems?
Central executive adn storage systems.
28
What is the multicomponent model's problem with the central executive?
The central executive is a homunculus: a critical part of the model that is not explained any further.
29
What is the multicomponent model's problem with the storage systems?
Do we really need two separate, domain-specific storage systems? [We can test this empirically]
30
What are the two key assumptions of the multicomponent model ?
1. If 2 tasks use the same component, they cannot be performed successfully together 2. If 2 tasks use different component, they can be performed as well together as separately.
31
What do individual component of the multicomponent model have?
Individual components have limited capacity and function fairly independently of the others.
32
Which components of the multi-component WM model would be needed to play chess?
Visual spatial sketchpad, Central executive, Episodic Buffer
33
What was the chess study by Robins et al. 1996?
Chess players selected continuation moves from chess positions while carrying out other tasks: - Control = Repetitive tapping - Articulatory Suppression (“see saw” - phonological loop) - Random letter generation (central executive [CE]) - Pressing keys in a clockwise direction (Visuo-spatial sketchpad [VSS]) Performance on chess task (score) significantly worse for concurrent use of VSS or CE. Two task that require the same domain your performance on one or both of the tasks will get much worse.
34
What did the chess study understand on multitasking?
Two task that require the same domain your performance on one or both of the tasks will get much worse. This is consistent with the assumptions of the multi-comonent model
35
What is a complex span task?
Testing domain-specificity. Assesses storage and processing of information. Like a normal span task (list of memoranda) but you then have to do a task, so you store information and process the task. DV: Accuracy (proportion correction) Combine verbal and visuo-spatial materials to compare same-domain to different-domain performance. Example storage and processing task components
36
What are rpedictions of testing domain specificity?
Domain-specificity predicts lower recall performance for same-domain combinations than for different-domain combinations.
37
What was Vergauwe et al. experiements rationale ? | 2022
Previous studies used task combinations that varied in more aspects of the tasks than just the representational domain.This confound might have affected the results.
38
What was the method of Vergauwe et al. Experiments? | 2022
Verbal [audiotry nonwords // rhymes?] Visuo-spatial [locations in a grid // shares axis of symmetry?]
39
What was the results of the Vergauwe et al.'s experiments? | 2022
No difference between same-domain and different-domain combinations. Speaks against need for two separate storage systems. A single study is not enough; the jury is still out on this!
40
What problem did the Vergauwe et al. study uncover of multicomponent model?
Episodic Buffer: Problem: Do we really need two separate memory systems (i.e. long-term and working memory)?
41
What are examples of activation based models?
Spread of activation [long term memory] and Cowan's embedded processes model.
42
What is Cowan’s (1995) embedded-processes model?
Activated part of long-term memory [around the focus of attention] Focus of attention: Current contents of working memory [circle within the activated part of LTM] WM is not a separate entity, part of long term memory., focus of attention (approx. 4 items), central executive still directs attention.
43
What are the 5 principles of the Cowan’s (1995) embedded-processes model?
1) WM information comes from hierarchically arranged facilities comprising a) LTM, b) subset of LTM that is currently activated, c) the subset of activated memory that is the focus of attention (FOA)and awareness 2) Processing limits are different LTM, active LTM and FOA 3) The FOA is controlled jointly by volitional processes (central executive) and involuntary processes (attentional orienting system) 4) Stimuli that are not important or changing remain active but do not elicit awareness 5) Awareness influences processing - allows for explicit recall
44
How did Cowan define working memory?
Working memory holds “a limited amount of information temporarily in a heightened state of availability for use in ongoing information processing” Working memory is a subset of representations in long-term memory, not a separate system. Example: birth year was in an activated state.
45
What is the Oberauer’s (2009) three-embedded components model?
Narrow focus of attention: One currently selected representation [centre] - explains how individual elements are selected for processing and manipulation Activated part of long-term memory [around the broad focus of attention] Broad focus of attention: “Region of direct access” to representations bound to the current context [around the narrow focus of attention]
46
What tasks provided evidence for the broad focus of attention and activated LTM?
Modified Sternberg task [two cue, two probe recognition paradigm]
47
What is Modified Sternberg task?
Study lists = 2 lists to study, can vary in size, colour coded. First cue = tells Pp which list is relevant for the first probe First Probe = Pp must decide if this was present in the relevant list Secon cue = tells participants which list is relevant for the second probe Second Probe = Pp has to decide whether the second probe was in the relevant cue I.V. - Cue Probe Interval - how long items remain in broad focus of attention and activated LTM- 100ms - 2000ms Relevant and irrelevant list length (1 - 3 items) D.V. - RT to reject/accept items
48
What were the results of the Modified Sternberg task?
At short intervals set size of both lists (relevant and irrelevant) affects RTV. Increase in RT from irrelevant set size 1 - 3 and relevant 1 - 3. At longer intervals only the size of the relevant set affects RT. Respond quicker to smaller relevant set size (1)
49
What are activation based models?
Compensate for some of the assumptions of the multicomponent model: * Central Executive - Homunculi * Separation of LTM and WM * Role of attention * Domain Specificity Developing research and model Still questions to be answered
50
What is an action-based models?
Oberauer's 2009 three-embedded components model
51
What is some evidence for the Narrow Focus of Attention (NFA)
DV in speed of response for each count. Switching from one count to another results in Switch Cost. Consistent with the narrow focus of attention shifting from one count to another. Repetitions result in faster response (repetition benefits
52
What is the object switch paradigm? | Garavan, 1998
Participants keep a running total of objects being presented (Triangles versus Squares) On Each trial - update previously updated count (i.e Triangle -> Triangle) Or Switch count (Triangle -> Square)
53
What is Sternberg's evidence for the Narrow focus of attention?
Sternberg (1966) recognition paradigm shows last item studied has a special status in WM (McElree & Dosher, 1989) R, B, K…. Last item held accessible at higher rate than any other item from list - consistent with being held as the NFA
54
Within how many seconds is the irrelavent list removed from broad focus?
1-2 seconds but remains active in l LTM, rejecting probes from irrelevant list is harder than new words.
55
When can participants respond accurately?
When second probe indicates previously irrelevant list is now relevant - participants can respond accurately Suggest broad focus of attention can flexibly shift from 1 set of stimuli to another .
56
What does Broad focus provide a candidate?
Broad focus provides a candidate set of items Increasing items leads to slower access due to interference (more on this next week) Info outside broad focus can be maintained in activated LTM.
57
What can you retrieve from LTM?
You can outsource information to active LTM and retrieve it back later if needed
58
What evidence is there for the Narrow Focus of Attention (NFA)?
Sternberg 1966 recognition paradigm shows last item studied has a special status in WM R, B, K ... Last item held accessible at higher rate than any other item from list - consistent with being held as the NFA
59
What is the object Switch Paradigm? | Graven, 1998
PPT keep a running total of objects being presented (Triangles vs Squares) On each trial - update previously updated count (Triangle => Triangle) or Switch count (Triangle => Square
60
What additional evidence for the narrow focus of attention?
DV in speed of response for each count. Switching from one count to another results in Switch Cost. Consistent with the narrow focus of attention shifting from one count to another. Repetitions result in faster response (repetition benefits)
61
What is the activation based models?
Compensate for some of the assumptions of he multicomponent model. * Central Executive * Separation of LTM and WM * Role of attention * Domain Specificity Developing research and model - still questions to be answered

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