Memory

• Define capacity of memory 


  How much information our memory can hold
• What researcher investigated the capacity of the STM?

  Jacobs (1887) - Digit span technique
• Explain the STM capacity Digit span technique experiment

  • Researcher read out digits
  • Ps asked to repeat them back again out loud
  • How many they can repeat correctly is their digit span
  • Mean for digits - 9.3
  • Mean for letters - 7.3 (or 7 + or - 2)
• What is the conclusion of the capacity of STM?

  It is small and limited
• What type of experiment is the Digit Span?


  Lab
• Evaluate Jacobs experiment 


  + highly controlled environment

  — lacks mundane realism (the task)
• How can you increase the STM capacity?


  By chunking the information together
• Why is it impossible to study the capacity of the LTM?


  Theoretically it is unlimited

  You sometimes can’t recall it but it is there
• Define Duration 


  how long we can hold information in our memory
• Give the researcher of duration STM

  Peterson and Peterson (1959)
• Explain the STM duration experiment

  • 8 trials for each participant
  • Consonant trigrams (3 letters) given on each trial, followed by a 3 digit number
  • Asked to count backwards in 3s from the number for a different amount of time on each trial (retention interval) 3-15s
  • As the retention interval got longer, the recall became poorer
• What is the conclusion of the duration of the STM?


  When rehearsal is prevented, STM lasts about 20s at most. (It’s limited)
• What type of experiment is Peterson and Peterson (1959) ?


  Lab
• Define coding

  the format in which information is stored/processed in each memory store
• Evaluate Peterson and Peterson experiment


  + highly controlled environment

  — Tasks lacks mundane realism
• Who investigated the duration of the LTM?


  Bahrick (1975)
• What is the conclusion of duration of LTM


  It is unlimited
• Explain Bahrick’s LTM duration experiment

  • Year book pictures
  • 393 Ps aged between 17 and 74
  • Photo recognition (50 phots) or free recall (listing the names of people in their year)
  • Photo recall - 15 years later 90% accurate
  • 48 years later declined to 70%
  • Free recall - 15 years later 60%
  • 48 years later 30%
• Evaluate Bahrick’s experiment


  + highly controlled environment

  + does have higher levels of mundane realism than the others - recalling names is an everyday activity
• What type of experiment is the Year book pictures?


  Lab
• Who studied coding ?

  Baddley (1966)
• Explain Baddeley’s coding experiment

  • Gave 4 different groups different word lists
  • 1 - acoustically similar (sound)
  • 2 - acoustically different (sound)
  • 3 - semantically similar (mean)
  • 4 - semantically different (mean)
  • Immediate recall (STM) Ps struggled with acoustically similar words
  • Delayed recall (LTM) Ps struggled with semantically similar words
• What does the coding study suggest?

  STM codes acoustically

  LTM codes semantically
• What design was Baddeley’s experiment?


  Independent groups
• Evaluate the coding experiment 


  — Participant variables (different people have different memories)
• What are processes of the MSM?


  stimulus from the environment, attention, response, prolonged and maintenance rehearsal and retrieval
• What are the names of the 3 stores of the MSM?


  Sensory register, STM, LTM
• What is maintenance rehearsal?


  When something is repeated to keep it in your STM
• What is prolonged rehearsal?


  When something is kept in the STM and transferred to the LTM.
• What is inside the sensory register?


  Iconic, Echoic, Other sensory stores
• What does MSM stand for?

  Multi-Store Model
• What research supports the MSM regarding STM and LTM?

  • Peterson and Peterson: STM lasts 20 secs without rehearsal
  • Bahrick et al: LTM can last 48 years+
  • Baddeley: STM codes acoustically, LTM codes semantically
• What do the findings of Peterson and Peterson, Bahrick et al, and Baddeley suggest about STM and LTM?

  They suggest STM and LTM are separate stores
• What is the significance of the research findings for the MSM?

  They validate the model's explanation of memory
• What happened to HM after his brain operation?

  He suffered brain damage to LTM
• How does HM's case support the MSM?

  It shows memory has separate stores
• What ability did Clive Wearing retain despite his memory issues?

  He could play the piano
• What does Clive Wearing's case suggest about LTM?

  LTM consists of more than one store
• Why is the MSM considered too simplistic based on Clive Wearing's case?

  It suggests only one store for LTM
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Multi-Store Model (MSM)?

  Strengths:

  • Supported by research evidence
  • Distinction between STM and LTM

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Oversimplifies LTM as a single store
  • Does not account for different types of LTM