remembering and forgetting

Question 1

what are the models for memory?

Answer 1

multi store model of memory
levels of processing theory
working memory model

Question 2

what is the multi store model?

Answer 2

composed of a short term and long term memory

main features:
-sensory register
-short term memory
-long term memory
[swag banter yolo putin]

Question 3

describe the sensory register

Answer 3

senses are registered
information is held in the same sense it is registered
information is held for about half a second

Question 4

describe the short term memory

Answer 4

sensory registered information is passed onto the short term memory
short term memory remembers in 7 +/-2
memory can be extended by chunking

if information in the short term memory is reheared, it is retained and transferred to long term memory

Question 5

describe the long term memory

Answer 5

information stored here indefinitely

huge capacity and memories are stored semantically = information is stored in an organised and meaningful way

Question 6

strengths of the multi store model

Answer 6

highly influential leading to further theories and research
empirical evidence to support these memory stores but done with laboratory studies = low ecological validity

PRIMACY AND RECENCY EFFECT/serial positioning curve - participants learn and recall words. first and last words are remembered because the start is rehearsed and the end are still in the STM

LEVELS OF PROCESSING MODEL - words processed semantically are remembered better than words processed = agrees with multistore

CLINICAL STUDIES - amnesiacs show that STM can be damaged but the LTM remains intact suggesting they are separate stores

Question 7

weaknesses of the multi store model

Answer 7

over simplified as it suggests we only have single stores of STM and LTM memories
working memory model suggests STM has 3 components and there are different types of LTM

rehearsal is over simplified - some material is remembered without rehearsal eg flashbulb memories

Question 8

study for the multi store model

Answer 8

baddeley: STM and LTM are coded differently

in STM tasks that required immediate recall of learned words = more mistakes were made when information sounded similar
phonological store = STM

in LTM tasks that required later recall (20 mins) mistaks were made for words with similar meanings
semantic stores = LTM

Question 9

evaluation of baddeley’s study

Answer 9

highly controlled lab = low ecological validity

Question 10

describe the working memory model

Answer 10

viewed as an extension to the multistore model’s view of stm

stm is made up of four components: the central executive
phonological loop
the visual spatial scratchpad
the episodic buffer

Question 11

what is the central executive

Answer 11

controls how we direct our attention and selects what information we should retain and ignore
connects working memory with LTM

Question 12

what is the phonological store

Answer 12

processes sound based information by verbal rehearsal (inner voice) or hearing our own thoughts (inner ear)

the articulatory process has a limited capacity to 3/4 items

Question 13

what is the visual spatial scratchpad

Answer 13

manipulates visual (shape and colour) and spatial information
eg navigation around a room

Question 14

what is the episodic buffer

Answer 14

binds visual, verbal and spatial information - allowing the visual spatial scratchpad, phonological loop and central executive interact

Question 15

name two studies for the working memory model

Answer 15

Paulesa and hunt

Question 16

what was Paulesa’s study?

Answer 16

asked participants to memorise a series of letters or to rehearse the sounds in their heads

he measured the blood flow in the brains and found different patterns in the brains of memorising and rehearsing participants

phonological store has two components

Question 17

what was Hunt’s study?

Answer 17

participants controlled a lever between two posts and at the same time completed an intelligence test consisting of spatial patterns

as the intelligence test got harder, the control on the lever deteriorated

both tasks used the same central processor and were competing for the limited capacity available

Question 18

what is wrong with hunt’s study?

Answer 18

lacks ecological validity as participants performed two tasks which are not normal to everyday life

also, could it be the visuo spatial scratchpad being used?

Question 19

strengths of the working memory model?

Answer 19

flexible and comprehensive view of the stm
provides insight into learning difficulties such as inability to read - children who can’t read very well perform badly on tasks for the phonological store

Question 20

what is wrong with hunt’s study?

Answer 20

lacks ecological validity as participants performed two tasks which are not normal to everyday life

also, could it be the visuo spatial scratchpad being used?

hunt did not have evidence for the capacity of the central executive

Question 21

strengths of the working memory model?

Answer 21

flexible and comprehensive view of the stm
provides insight into learning difficulties such as inability to read - children who can’t read very well perform badly on tasks for the phonological store
processing visual and sound information are highlighted as one being effected and one is not - brain damaged patients

Question 22

weaknesses of the working memory model?

Answer 22

limited as it only explains the stm
little is known about the central executive
studies and experiments on the working memory model lack ecological validity

Question 23

what is the levels of processing model?

Answer 23

three levels of processing information
shallow/structural level - what does it look like?
intermediate/phonetic level - sound like?
deep/ semantic level - meaning?

Question 24

what does this theory predict?

Answer 24

words processed on a semantic will be remembered better than on a phonetic level which will be remembered better than on a structural level

Question 25

what are the two types of rehearsal?

Answer 25

maintenance rehearsal - simple rote rehearsal, repetition | elaborative rehearsal - analysing the meaning of the rehearsed material and linking it with knowledge

Question 26

what was craik and tulving's study?

Answer 26

participants were presented with words and were asked questions based on the structure, sound and meaning they were then asked to pick those words out from a bigger list semantic level words were remembered much better 65% than phonological 37% and structural 17%

Question 27

strength and weaknesses of craik and tulving study

Answer 27

relies on incidental learning - advantage of high ecological validity as participants will be unlikely to engage in extra processing deception - ethical

Question 28

strengths of levels of processing theory

Answer 28

focuses on the process involved in memory than structure which offers credible alternative to multistore model can explain flashbulb memories - semantic

Question 29

weaknesses of levels of processing theory

Answer 29

no independent measure - assumes words remmebered are deeply processed simplification of levels? sometimes phonetic is better

Question 30

what are the types of long term memory?

Answer 30

episodic semantic procedural

Question 31

what is a procedural memory?

Answer 31

action based memory | non declaritive as it is hard to put into words

Question 32

what is a semantic memory?

Answer 32

knowledge but doesn't have a time or place linked to when the memory was aquired declaritive as you can put it into words

Question 33

what is an episodic memory?

Answer 33

events which we have experienced or others have experiences and we know about - autobiographical and experimental memories are an example of episodic memories declaritive as you can put it into words

Question 34

name two studies for the LTM

Answer 34

Tulving | Bower

Question 35

What is the tulving study for LTM?

Answer 35

investigated episodic and semantic memories by injecting radioactive gold into his bloodstream he thought about semantic and episodic memories whilst recording his blood flow in his brain different tasks changed the blood flow suggesting two seperate types of LTM stored

Question 36

what is the bower study?

Answer 36

two groups of people were presented with the same words to learn but were presented differently they were either hierachically organised or random. they were asked to recall them the organised condition remembered more words

Question 37

evaluation of the bower study?

Answer 37

we assume participants make semantic associations between the words but it's difficult to know precisely if it is or not because it's highly controlled - low ecological validity

Question 38

strengths of the LTM

Answer 38

added more detail to the LTM after elaborating on the multistore model of it good theory for HM - brain injury resulting in being able to learn procedural memories but not semantic/episodic memories

Question 39

weaknesses of the LTM

Answer 39

evidence that different types of LTM involving different brain structures is limited tulving experiment is inconclusive and he later revised it saying that episodic and semantic memories were in the same store

Question 40

how many explanations of forgetting is there? name them

Answer 40

``` trace decay interference retrieval failure displacement lack of consolidation motivated forgetting ```

Question 41

what is trace decay

Answer 41

biological explanation - unless information is rehearsed, the neural trace will be lost memories create structural changes so you need to rehearse something a lot to create the change the memories can still be lost if they are not regularly rehearsed => fade with time

Question 42

what is a study for LTM trace decay?

Answer 42

ebbinghaus - law of disuse. learnt lists of nonsense words and rehearsed them over a period of time as the days went on, he remembered less and found that forgetting had a pattern - forgetting curve = rapid forgetting in a short space of time that then leveled off after a while

Question 43

evaluation of trace decay?

Answer 43

laboratory studies to support theory = low eco validity interference theory states that over time there are distractions that distract us to prevent rehearsal this could be measuring interference and memory instead? doesn't explain how people can remember random things from years ago structural differences can only be accounted for in alzheimers disease

Question 44

what is intereference theory?

Answer 44

proposes we cannot rehearse things because of distractions. There are two types of interference: proactive and retroactive

Question 45

what is proactive and retroactive interference?

Answer 45

proactive - previous memories interrupt new ones | retroactive - new memories interrupt our old ones

Question 46

study for interference?

Answer 46

jenkins and dallenbach - two groups learned words. one group went to sleep, the other group didnt sleeping group remembered much more words than the others lacks eco validity

Question 47

study for STM trace decay

Answer 47

waugh and norman participants saw lists of 16 digits at a rate of 1 to 4 per secs participants recalled the digit after the probe digit better at a shorter rate (4 per sec) no relationship between speed and recall suggesting that interference was the reason p; lacks eco validity

Question 48

evaluation of interference theory

Answer 48

no clear explanation how interference affects memory interference is greatest with similar things but less with different things = response competition experiments lack eco validity difficult to create non interference environment as anything can be distracting

Question 49

what is retrieval failure

Answer 49

we need retrieval cues to remember things including: context dependent: environmental variables state dependent: psychological/mood variables retrieval of words is better if they are organised under category headings

Question 50

study for retrieval failure?

Answer 50

godden and baddeley: divers learned words on land and under water participants remembered better if they were in the environment they learned them in extreme conditions do not reflect everyday life even though it was a field experiment and effect would be less evidnt if the differences were more subtle

Question 51

evaluation of the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 51

consistent with the levels of processing theory because cues are a form of deep and making links this explains why lost memories can be remembered - cues which is better than trace decay artificial conditions - low eco validity effective in free recall tasks but less in other memory tests as recognition

Question 52

what is displacement theory?

Answer 52

based on the view that STM has a capacity of 7 +/- 2 items. extra information coming into the STM displaces old information so we forget it and why memories are lost after a while in the STM

Question 53

evaluation of the displacement theory

Answer 53

explains the primary recency effect - serial positioning curve limited in that it only explains STM theory is based on multi store model so is slightly dated

Question 54

what is the lack of consolidation theory?

Answer 54

biological basis too like trace decay permanent alterations of the brain substrate - repeatedly adtivate the STM (consolidation - going over it) and it will go into the STM but if something interrupts the process it will not be stored in the LTM acetycholine has been identified as important in this process

Question 55

study for lack of consolidation theory

Answer 55

drachman and sahakian: blocks action of acetylcholine people who had drug didn't remember as much words yarnell and lynch: football players with head injury. remembered stuff when asked straight away after accident but not after a longer period of time (20 mins) after accident - didn't reach LTM

Question 56

evaluation of lack of consolidation theory

Answer 56

patients with concussion sometimes suffer retrograde amnesia - loss of memory for events priot to the concussion - consolidation process interrupted electro convulsive therapy causes memory loss - essential consolidation requires an hour

Question 57

what is motivated forgetting?

Answer 57

freud: experiences are painful so we repress them so we do not suffer by repressing them we cannot access them. we can remember them by removing defense mechanisms with free association, dream analysis

Question 58

studies for motivated forgetting

Answer 58

gucksberg and lloyd: words with electric shocks accompanying them were less likely to be remembered ethical implications associated words with electric shocks = purposely didn't mention it? motivated forgetting is usually associated with personal and emotional memories

Question 59

evaluation of motivated forgetting?

Answer 59

difficult to replicate traumatic experiences as it is unethical inscientific approach as the unconscious cannot be scientifically proven so is very subjective painful memories can be remembered very vividly (flashbulb memories and PTSD) some evidence that painful memories are forgotten eg childbirth

Question 60

evaluation of motivated forgetting?

Answer 60

difficult to replicate traumatic experiences as it is unethical inscientific approach as the unconscious cannot be scientifically proven so is very subjective painful memories can be remembered very vividly (flashbulb memories and PTSD) some evidence that painful memories are forgotten eg childbirth

Question 61

williams study for motivated forgetting?

Answer 61

investigated women who were sexually abused | they couldn't recall them leading to williams believing it is repression

Question 62

problems with williams study?

Answer 62

critisised for ignoring alternate reasons such as: - may wish to move on with their lives - or be embarrassed by these events - don't want to get anyone in trouble - protect family members