Short Term Memory

Question 1

What was the initial proposed model for short term memory?

Answer 1

The Modal Model

Question 2

What does the Brown-Peterson Paradigm mesure?
How does it measure this?

Answer 2

It measures the “Rate of Forgetting”
- It does this my administering a digit span task

Question 3

In terms of the Modal Model: Descirbe Short Term Memory

Answer 3

• Limited in Duration
• Limited in Capacity

Question 4

In terms of the Modal Model: Describe Long Term memory

Answer 4

• Infinite in capacity
• Infinite in duration

Question 5

Patient KF suffered from Left parietal-occipital damage

What task was he exceptional bad at?

What did his performance on this task indicate about his deficiet?

Answer 5

Digit span task
- He had a digit span of 1

Short-Term Memory Syndrome
- Selective impairment in short-term memory

Question 6

What does left parietal-occipital damage result in?

Answer 6

Selective impairment in short-term memory

Question 7

What are the characteristics of Short-Term Memory Syndrome?
How do they compensate for these deficits?

Answer 7

1) Abnormallly Rapid Forgetting
2) In tact long term memory

Compensation
- They compensate for these deficits by relying on long term memory

Question 8

What aspect of patients with STM memory syndrome indicated that long term memory and short term memory are not connected?

What was used to discover this?

Answer 8

The fact that STM patients had in tact long term memory

Recalling a list & Serial posititon curve
- STM especially impared, LTM was intact and better accurate

Question 9

Describe the relationship between LTM and healthy individuals and LTM with STM syndrome patients

Answer 9

• Healthy individuals with intact STM dont need to use LTM to perform STM task
• STM patients rely on LTM to perform STM task

Question 10

Does increased STM rehersal time improve LTM

Answer 10

No

Question 11

What does the Modal Model assert?

Answer 11

• LTM is acessed through STM
• STM Rehersal time improves LTM

Question 12

What 4 conclusions were drawn from disproving the modal model?

Answer 12

1) STM syndrome is a specific deficit to STM
2) LTM is not acessed through STM
3) rehersal time in STM does not imrpove LTM
4) STM and LTM are independent stores that can be damaged independently

Question 13

What does the Shallice and Warrington Model assert?

Answer 13

STM and LTM stores work in parralell, independently of eachother

Question 14

What determines wether information is stored in STM vs LTM?

Answer 14

The nature of the information being processed

Question 15

What is working memory?

Answer 15

• Temporary storage area which holds and manipulates material being processed
• Used in tasks such as mental arithmetic, reasoning, problem solving

Question 16

In terms of the the 3-Component Model of Working Memory:
What is the Central Executive what is it involved in?

Answer 16

• Control system with limited attentional capacity
• Involved in manipulation of information and controlling subsidary systems

Question 17

In terms of the the 3-Component Model of Working Memory:
What is the visuospatial sketchpad, what is it involved in?

Answer 17

• Storage and maintenance of visual and spatial information

Question 18

In terms of the the 3-Component Model of Working Memory:
What is the Phnological Loop, what is it involved in?

Answer 18

• Storage and maintenance of information in a phonological store

Question 19

What was proposed due to the fact that STM store is between Phonemic analysis and

Answer 19

STM is involved in speech comprehension and production

Question 20

What would behaviour would occur in STM patients if STM store was involved in speech production?

Answer 20

STM patients shoudl show considerable difficulties in spontaneous speech
- See a trade-off between errors and shorter phrase lengths with many problems

Question 21

What is speech production like in STM patients?

Answer 21

Their spontaneous speech does not display an errors or difficulty

Patient JB was tested
- Error rate was normal
- No abnormalities in pause rate

Question 22

What is speech comprehesnsion like in STM patients?

Answer 22

Speech comprehension is normal
- however there is some evidence of a very subtle impairment in speech comprehension

Patient JB’s work as a secretary placed heavy demands on language comprehension
- Yet her scentence comprehnsion appeared normal

Question 23

Describe the impairment that STM pateints have in speech comprehension

Answer 23

STM patients rely on LTM for performing span tests if possible
- LTM code is semantic rather than phonological

SMT patients should be impaired at repeating back scentences verbatim
- But should be able to repeat back the substance (gist) of those scentences

Question 24

What experiment revealed a deficit in the STM patients ability to comprehend speech?

Answer 24

Experiment with Patient IL
- Patient was given a number of scentences of varying length and complexity, and asked to repeat each back immediatey after hearing it

Question 25

What is the role of STM in speech comrehension?

Answer 25

Serves as temporary storgae of relativley unprocessed information when:
1) Initial sequential attempt to parse scentence fails
2) Need to hold a phrase temporarily until interpreatation of a later clause. BUT not needed when scentences are simpler.

Question 26

What is the role of STM in language acqusition

Answer 26

Phonolgical loop may be critical for language acquisition

Think of
- Patient PV: she was not able to learn russion words
- Children who had a specific language deficit, who struggles with vocabulary and reading skills. And were impaired at nonword repitition.