psychology

• atkinson and shiffrin (1968)


  multi-store model (sensory register, short term store, long term store). information from our environment first goes to the sensory register, once you pay attention to this information it will pass into the short term memory (limited capacity and duration) if information is rehearsed then it is transferred to the long term memory where it can stay with a unlimited capacity and duration.
• sperling (1960) - method

  in a lab experiment participants shown a grid with 3 rows of 4 letters for 0.05 seconds, they then had to immediately recall either the whole grid or a random row indicated by a high medium or low tone played straight after the grid was shown.
• sperling (1960) - results

  when participants recalled the whole grid they only recalled about 4 or 5 letters, when a particular row was indicated participants could recall an average of 3 items.
• sperling (1960) -conclusion

  participants didn’t know which row was going to be selected so could be concluded they would’ve been able to recall 3 items from any row, almost the whole grid was held in their sensory register, they couldn't report the whole grid as the information faded before they could finish recall.
• sperling (1960) - evaluation positives

  lab experiment so highly scientific, variables could be controlled, easy to replicate.
• sperling (1960) - evaluation negatives

  artificial setting so lacks ecological validity - people don’t normally do this in day to day so results may not represent what will happen in the real world.
• 3 basic assumptions of the biological approach

  1. human behaviour can be explained by looking at biological structures (hormones, genetics, evolution, nervous system).
  2. we can explain all behaviour using biological causes, unwanted behaviour could be modified or removed using biological treatments (eg medication for mental illness).
  3. experimental animal research can help us understand human behaviour and biological influences as we share a lot of biological similarities.