Features of memory

• What is memory?

  The ability to store and retrieve information.
• What are the three features of memory?

  Capacity, duration, coding
• What is capacity?

  A measure of how much can be held in memory
• What is duration?

  A measure of how long a memory lasts before it is no longer available
• What is coding?

  The way information is changed so that it can be stored in memory
• What is the research for Capacity of short term memory?

  Jacobs (1887)
• What is the aim of Jacobs capacity STM?

  To investigate how much information can be held in the short term memory
• What is the Procedure of Jacobs capacity study?

  Lab experiment

  Serial digit span

  sequence of letters or digits followed by serial recall test

  pace of presentation was in 1/2 second intervals

  initial sequence was 3 items, which increased by a single item until the participant consistently failed to reproduce the correct sequence
• What are the findings of Jacobs capacity study?

  The average digit span was 9.3 and the average letter span was 7.3

  LIMITED in capacity

  between 5-9 items
• What is the research for capacity of long term memory?

  Linton (1952)
• What did Linton's research conclude about capacity of the LTM?

  Capacity of the LTM is UNLIMITED
• AO3- Strength of Jacobs capacity study- high control

  E-Jacobs study is a laboratory study so the variables are highly controlled,

  E/L-therefore, this increases the replicability of the study
• AO3- Limitation of Jacobs capacity study- research methods flawed

  E-Because it is a lab study, it becomes so controlled the material becomes artificial and the environment is unnatural

  E/L-Therefore, this suggests that the study lacks generalisability, and lacks ecological validity. Can't relate findings to everyday life
• AO3- Another strength- Supporting evidence for Jacobs capacity study

  E- Miller (1956) conducted a meta analysis and reported that the capacity of STM to be 7 +/- 2 chunks. if you chunk numbers together they become easier to remember

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that it backs up Jacobs study into STM capacity making it more reliable
• What is the research into duration of short term memory?

  Peterson & Peterson (1959)
• What is the aim of Peterson & Peterson's study into duration of STM?

  To study how long information remains in short-term memory
• What is the procedure of Peterson & Peterson's study into duration of STM?

  Laboratory experiment

  24 participants - nonsense trigrams consisting of three consonants

  Recall of trigrams after a delay of 3,6,9,12,15 or 18 seconds

  (between recall and presentation they were asked to count backwards in threes from a random 3 digit number- distracter task)

  Recall had to be 100% accurate
• What are the findings of Peterson & Peterson's studying into duration of STM?

  There was a rapid increase in forgetting as time delay increased

  3 seconds= 80% recall correctly

  6 seconds= 50%

  18 seconds= 3%

  LIMITED duration of 18 seconds
• What is the research into duration of long term memory?

  Bahrick et al (1975)
• What is the aim of Bahrick's study into duration of long term memory?

  investigate how long information stays in the long term memory
• What is the procedure of Bahrick's study into duration of long term memory?

  Field study

  Yearbooks

  392 participants aged 17-74

  recall names of their classmates in 4 conditions
• What are the 4 recall conditions of Bahrick's study of duration of long term memory?

  condition 1- Free recall of classmates names

  condition 2- Participants shown 50 yearbook photos and asked to identify which were their classmates

  condition 3- Recognise their classmates names from a list of 50 names

  condition 4- Matching classmates to their photos
• What are the findings of Bahrick's study of duration of long term memory?

  Free recall- 60% after 15 years, 30% after 48 years

  Photo recall- 90% after 15 years, 70% after 48 years

  Free recall was worst, having things to aid us helped

  UNLIMITED duration
• What is the study of coding of short term memory?

  Baddeley (1966)
• What is the study of coding of short term memory?

  Baddeley (1966)
• What is the aim of Baddeley's study of coding in STM & LTM?

  To test whether acoustic encoding is used in short term memory

  To test whether semantic encoding is used in long term memory
• What is the procedure of Baddeley's study of coding in STM & LTM?

  Laboratory experiment - 4 types of word lists

  Condition 1- Acoustically similar words

  Condition 2- Semantically similar words

  Condition 3- Acoustically dissimilar words

  Condition 4- Semantically dissimilar words

  IV= type of words DV= number of substitution errors

  Participants either asked to recall immediately (STM), or delayed 20 minutes (LTM)
• What are the findings of Baddeley's study of coding in STM & LTM?

  With immediate recall (STM) there were more substitution errors on the acoustically similar lists than acoustically dissimilar - NO difference in semantic words

  With delayed recall (LTM) there were more substitution errors on the semantically similar lists than semantically dissimilar - NO difference in acoustic words

  STM is coded ACOUSTICALLY by SOUNDS

  LTM is coded SEMANTICALLY by MEANING
• AO3- Strength of Jacobs study is that it has sound methodology

  E- It is a lab experiment= replication checks the results to ensure the results are not just a one off, also very controlled variables

  E/L- Therefore this suggests that, this suggests that Jacob's study is a valid test of digit span in STM- research methods knowledge
• AO3- Limitation is that there is contradicting research of Millers research

  E- Cowan reviewed other research of STM and concluded is only about 4 chunks

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that because there's not so many chunks Jacob's could have overestimated the STM capacity, undermining research in this area
• AO3- Research methods flawed of Peterson & Peterson's duration

  E- nonsense trigrams aren't everyday materials that we need to remember

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that the study lacks ecological validity and can't be generalised to everyday settings
• AO3- Research methodology is sound- Bahrick

  E- Conducted by investigating meaningful memories using yearbooks, peoples names and faces

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that the study has higher external validity as behaviour is more authentic and genuine it can be generalised to everyday ife
• AO3- Limitation of Baddeley's study- research methodology flawed

  E- Artificial stimuli, word lists of acoustically similar/ semantically similar. no personal meaning

  E/L- Therefore this suggests that the study lacks ecological validity as it can't be generalised from a lab to real world undermining research into this area
• AO3- Limitation of Baddeley's study- suffers with machine reductionism

  E- too simplistic like a computer and ignores emotion

  E/L- reducing internal validity of the study