Coding

• what is coding? AO1

  Coding refers to the format that information is stored as in our memory. This can involve sensory, short term and long term memory. In the sensory memory, information is coded according to modality e.g. haptic, visual etc. In the short term memory, information is coded acoustically and the long term memory is coded semantically. 
• who researched coding AO1?

  Baddeley (1966) investigated coding in the short term and long term memory stores by giving 4 groups of participants a different group of words : acoustically similar ; acoustically dissimilar ; semantically similar ; and semantically dissimilar. 

  Those who recalled immediately (STM) found the acoustically similar words harder to recall, suggesting they were coded acoustically by the short term memory. Those who recalled 20 minutes later (LTM) found the semantically similar words harder to recall, suggesting the long term memory codes semantically.
• what are the strengths of coding?

  lab conditions

  reliability

  practical applications
• elaborate on lab conditions as a strength of coding?

  A strength of Baddeley's research is that he showed a clear difference in coding between the two memory stores. By using laboratory conditions, a high degree of control over extraneous variables can be created which ensures they cannot confound the results allowing a cause and effect relationship to be established.
• elaborate on Replicability as a strength of coding?

  Furthermore the standardisation of variables means they can be measured accurately, increasing the internal reliability which in turn increases the external reliability as it can be easily replicated. Moreover, other studies have replicated baddeleys to produce similar results. 
• elaborate on practical applications as a strength of coding?

  Additionally, baddeleys results had practical applications as it later led to the development of the multi store model which is used worldwide and has many practical applications. 
• what are the weaknesses of coding?

  However, baddeleys experiment uses artificial materials, so data collected may lack ecological validity as artificial conditions do not reflect real world scenarios questioning the generalisability of the results. This is because we do not remember word lists like this on a day to day basis and additionally they have no personal meaning to the participants. We cannot make assumptions about memories are coded in real life situations, where the task may have personal meaning, based on an artificial task and a laboratory set up.