memory

• the multistore model is a model of memory that describes how information is stored in the brain
• multi-store model- Atkinson and Shiriffin 1968 proposed one of the earliest models of memory, they suggested memory was made up of 3 components: the sensory register, the short-term memory store and the long-term memory store (each store has a specific type of codint capacity and duration.)
• memory- mental processes involved in the storage and retrieval of information.
• short term memory - holds small amounts of info for brief periods of time
• long term memory - holds large amounts of info for longer periods of time
• working memory - temporary holding area where we process new info
• coding- the process of converting info from one format to another- visual coding, acoustic coding and semantic (meaningful) coding
• acoustically similar words sound the same (cap, hat, sack). acoustically dissimilar sound different (cow, dad, led). semantically similar words have close meanings with one another (big, large, huge). semantically dissimilar 2 words have different meanings ( hot, pen, man)
• long term memory is encoded semantically whilst short term memory is encoded acoustically
• capacity of memory- capacity refers to how much information memory can hold. the LTM has unlimited capacity whilst STM can only hold a certain amount.
• episodic memory is the memory of personal experiences, events, and places that are stored in a more detailed and personal way.
• procedural memory is the unconscious memories of skills and habits such as riding a bike or playing an instrument.
• semantic memory is the memory of facts and information, such as the names of people and places
• Joseph Jacobs (1887) digit span experiments (with sample of 443 female students age 8-19) showed that capacity of short term memory was limited to a very small number of items at around 7 (higher for words (9.3) than for letters (7.3)

  advantages- lab experiment (controllable), standardised (replicable), use of different ages (generalised)

  disadvantages- lack in mundane realism, not generalised to real life, gender biased (only women)
• George Miller (1956) suggested that capacity of STM is 7 + or – 2​

  Miller noted that 7 was a commonly occurring number for lists​

  Miller noted that the process of CHUNKING allows us increase this.- group sets or digits or letters into units or chunks.

  AO3- unable to conclude the exact capacity of short term memory, Miller did not specify how big the chunks had to be.
• Margaret and lloyd peterson- investigate length of STM

  An experiment using trigrams and interference tasks demonstrated that without rehearsal, material will fade from STM in approx. 18 seconds.​
• What model did Baddeley & Hitch propose in 1974?

  Multi store model
• How many stores are suggested in the multi store model of memory?

  Three stores
• What are the three stores within our memory system according to the multi store model?

  Sensory register, short term memory, long term memory
• What is the function of the sensory register in the multi store model?

  Temporary storage of incoming stimuli from senses
• How long does short term memory hold information?

  Up to 20 seconds
• What is the purpose of long term memory in the multi store model?

  Permanent storage of information
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the multi store model proposed by Baddeley & Hitch?

  Strengths:

  • Useful framework for understanding memory

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Oversimplified
  • Doesn't explain forgetting
  • No evidence for separate stores
  • Lacks explanation for why we forget things
• Margaret and Lloyd Peterson- disadvantages- used psych students- not useful as they already has knowledge of the experiment, not generalised as the students were not random, not representative as they were not representative of the population, lacks external validity
• Peterson&peterson- advantages- controlled conditions, replicable, reliable, internal validity
• duration of LTM- An experiment using high school year books and 392 participants of ages from 17-74​

  findings: remembered semantically better than acoustically. LTM is semantically encoded

  strength- high external validity
• Who is Clive Wearing and what is notable about his condition?

  Clive Wearing is known for having the worst case of amnesia ever.
• What is the duration of Clive Wearing's memory retention?

  He only remembers the last 7-30 seconds.
• What caused Clive Wearing's amnesia?

  His amnesia resulted from a viral infection in the brain.
• Which part of Clive Wearing's brain was damaged?

  The hippocampus was damaged.
• What does Clive Wearing remember about his children?

  He remembers he has children but nothing about them.
• How does Clive Wearing react when he sees his wife?

  He recognizes her and greets her joyously as if he hasn't seen her for decades.
• What does Clive Wearing still remember how to do?

  He still remembers how to play the piano.
• What type of memory is intact in Clive Wearing?

  His procedural memory is still intact.
• How is Clive Wearing's episodic memory affected?

  His episodic memory is damaged as he remembers that he had kids but not their names.
• What is the state of Clive Wearing's semantic memory?

  His semantic memory is partial; he knows what things are but can't connect it to knowledge.
• According to Tulving, where is semantic memory located in the brain?

  According to Tulving, semantic memory is in the hippocampus.
• How does Clive Wearing's brain damage relate to his semantic memory?

  Wearing damaged his hippocampus, leading to semantic memory damage.
• Tulving- argued that the MSM of memory was too simplistic- instead he suggested that there was different types of LTM ( episodic, procedural, semantic)
• cohen and squire- argued that there was 2 memory stores not 3. declarative (semantic and episodic) and non declarative (procedural)