Working Memory (7b) Flashcards
(13 cards)
Outline patient HM (1954) (temporal lobe)
- Bilateral removal of the temporal lobe
- SEVERE AMNESIA: inability to form new long-term memories for events and facts
- PRESERVED short-term and procedural memory
Outline patient KF 1969 (parietal/occipital lesion)
Lesion to parietal/occipital cortex
- reduced digit span (short term memory - approx 2 items)
- preserved long-term memory
*these two patients show a double dissociation between long term memory and short term memory
Describe the Baddeley Model of Working Memory (1974) + their behavioural evidence
Visuo-Spatial <-> Central <-> Phonological
Sketch Pad <-> Exec <-> Loop
We have separable phonological and visuospatial stores
–> two separate systems for temporary storage of information
Articulatory Suppression Effect - subvocal rehearsal impairs short-term memory for words but has no effect on visuo-spatial performance
‘Working memory’ tests
- digit span (verbal WM)
- corsi blocks (spatial WM)
What is general intelligence (Spearman’s G)
Spearman published a paper showing correlations for different measures: academic ability, and sensory discrimination
–> Factor analysis revealed an underlying factor common to performance of many different kinds of tasks (‘g factor) - general intelligence
Later this was adapted to form two underlying factors
–> Spearman’s ‘g’ factor
- Gf - Fluid Intelligence
- Reasoning
- Problem Solving
Gc - Crystallised Intelligence
- General knowledge
What is GENERAL (FLUID) intelligence
Fluid intelligence is the ability to reason, solve novel problems, and adapt to new situations without relying on prior knowledge or experience. It involves logical thinking, pattern recognition, and abstract reasoning.
REASONING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Give some example of tests of general/fluid intelligence
Kyllonen (1990) - gave subjects tests of different processes (eg. WM, general knowledge, processing speed) and subjects reasoning tasks
eg. odd one out tasks
digit span tasks, ABC numerical assignment tasks
What are the problems with digit span/numerical assignment tasks
Problems; do not distinguish between storage (short term memory) and executive processes (working memory)
–> Performance depends on a combination of these processes
What does the research show about general intelligence in Chimpanzees and Humans
Monkeys are not (as far as we know) more intelligent than us
–> Monkeys are better than humans at WORKING memory, and as working memory underlies general intelligence…some people think its true
–> BUT: doesn’t consider combination of memory processes
What task can evidence the ‘working’ component of WM correlates with fluid intelligence
SPAN TASK:
- complex: solve each maths problem and say words aloud, then recall all 3 words at the end
- simple: say each word aloud then recall all three words at the end
Complex span requires retention of information in the WM AND in addition requires the active processing, manipulation and updating of this information (WORKING memory)
Simple span only requires retention of information in WM (Short term memory)
What are Raven’s Matrices
Definition: Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) are a type of nonverbal intelligence test designed to measure abstract reasoning and general cognitive abilities.
Structure: The test consists of a series of patterns or matrices with one piece missing. The test-taker must select the correct piece from several options to complete the matrix.
What is the Structural Equation Model
Key distinction between working memory and short term memory
- ‘working’ component of working memory predicts fluid intelligence
- simple short term memory does NOT
–> Fluid, or ‘general’ intelligence involves the ‘executive attention’ component of WM
What is the correlation between rule working memory and fluid intelligence (Duncan et al.)
John Duncan has carried out research to suggest that it is the ability to follow a complex set of task rules that underlies fluid intelligence
–> Found that effective fluid intelligence involves construction of a ‘mental program’ for task performance - subdivide goals into sub-goals to break down complex problems into manageable chunks
–> The critical function in fluid intelligence is splitting a complex whole into simple, separately attended parts”
Conducted culture fair IQ tests of reasoning ability
- found that in seperated conditions: all subjects perform well on the task, even those with lower IQ
- found that in combined conditions: there is a correlation between fluid intelligence and performance on task - low IQ subjects perform worse
Summarise the key points of this working memory lecture
Separate brain systems exist for long term and short term memory
Separate systems for storage of verbal and visual information in STM
Working memory is a fundamental component of fluid intelligence
The ability to follow rules and manipulate information in WM underlies fluid intelligence (not storage capacity!)
–> the ability to break down a task down into component parts is key
