Coding, capacity, & duration of memory

• What are the four groups of words used in Baddeley's study?

  Acoustically similar, acoustically dissimilar, semantically similar, semantically dissimilar
• What does Baddeley's study suggest about STM recall with acoustically similar words?

  Participants tend to do worse with them
• What does Baddeley's study suggest about LTM recall with semantically similar words?

  Participants do worse with semantically similar words
• What is the mean digit span found by Jacobs?

  9.3 items
• What is the mean letter span found by Jacobs?

  7.3 items
• What is chunking in memory?

  Grouping sets of digits or letters
• What does Miller's research suggest about the capacity of STM?

  It is about 7 items, plus or minus 2
• What is the duration of STM according to Peterson and Peterson's study?

  Very short, unless rehearsed
• What type of syllables did Peterson and Peterson use in their study?

  Consonant syllables
• What was the purpose of counting backwards in Peterson and Peterson's study?

  To prevent mental rehearsal of syllables
• What did Bahrick et al.'s study focus on?

  Real-life meaningful memories
• What was the accuracy of photo recognition within 15 years of graduation in Bahrick et al.'s study?

  About 90% accurate
• What was the accuracy of free recall after 15 years in Bahrick et al.'s study?

  About 60% accurate
• What is the main limitation of Peterson and Peterson's study?

  It used artificial stimuli
• What is a strength of Bahrick et al.'s study?

  Higher external validity with meaningful memories
• What are the two explanations for forgetting in STM according to Peterson and Peterson?

  Decay and displacement of memory trace
• What are the key features of short-term memory (STM)?

  • Limited capacity: 5 to 9 items
  • Mainly acoustic coding
  • Duration: 18 to 30 seconds
• What are the key features of long-term memory (LTM)?

  • Unlimited capacity
  • Mainly semantic coding
  • Duration: up to a lifetime
• How can chunking improve memory recall?

  • By grouping information into manageable units
  • Increases the amount of information remembered
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of using artificial stimuli in memory research?

  Strengths:

  • Easier to control variables
  • Clear results

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Lacks ecological validity
  • May not reflect real-life memory tasks
• What are the implications of Bahrick et al.'s findings on LTM duration?

  • LTM can last a very long time
  • Suggests meaningful memories are retained better
• What is the significance of coding in memory?

  • Determines how information is stored
  • Affects recall and recognition of memories
• What is the role of rehearsal in memory retention?

  • Helps maintain information in STM
  • Facilitates transfer to LTM