memory

• Multi Store Model


  Views human memory as a computer system (cognitive approach), Linear model, information is passed through the three stores through attention or rehearsal of it will decay
• Stores in the Multi Store Model


  • Sensory register
  • Short term memory
  • Long term memory
• Maintenance rehearsal


  Rehearsal to maintain information in short term memory
• Elaborative rehearsal


  Rehearsal to encode information into long term memory
• Sensory register


  • Receives environmental stimuli, attention is required to transfer to short term memory, information decays quickly (less than 0.5s)
• Short term memory


  • Holds a limited amount of information (7 +/- 2 items), information is encoded acoustically, rehearsal is required to maintain information
• Long term memory


  • Has a large capacity, information is encoded semantically, retrieval can be conscious or unconscious
• Central executive


  Master system that controls attentional processes, monitors data and allocates slave systems, has limited capacity
• Visuospatial sketchpad


  • Processes visual and spatial information, can handle 3-4 items at a time, has a visual cache and an inner scribe
• Phonological loop


  Processes sound information, has a phonological store that holds sound information and an articulatory process that rehearses the information
• Episodic buffer


  Integrates information from the other components and maintains a sense of time and sequence of events
• Episodic memory


  Personal events and memories with time and emotion tags, unique to the individual
• Semantic memory


  General knowledge and facts, not dependent on personal experience
• Procedural memory


  Memory for skills and procedures, learned information is retrieved unconsciously/automatically
• Short term memory capacity


  Jacobs' digit span test shows 7 +/- 2 items, Miller's chunking increases this to 7 +/- 2 chunks
• Short term memory duration


  Peterson's studies show STM lasts around 18 seconds without rehearsal
• Long term memory capacity is unlimited
• Long term memory duration


  Bahrick's study shows 60-90% recall of names and faces over 15-48 years, demonstrating LTM can last a lifetime
• Encoding in short term memory


  Acoustic encoding is better for STM, semantic encoding is better for LTM
• Forgetting can be caused by proactive interference (old information disrupting new) or retroactive interference (new information disrupting old)
• Serial position curve


  Primacy effect (first items recalled best) and recency effect (last items recalled best) are impacted by interference
• Retrieval cues


  Contextual cues, state-dependent cues, and the encoding specificity principle can all aid retrieval
• Conditions


  • The same
• Abernethy (1940)


  Participants who were tested by the same teacher in the same room did better than participants who were tested in a different room with a different teacher
• Both studies show that contextual cues are important for improved and effective recall
• State Dependent Forgetting


  Canter + Cassady (1998) anti-histamine study, mild sedative effect and changes to internal physical state
• State Dependent Forgetting


  1. Learn on Att - recall on Att

  2. Learn on Att - recall on no medication

  3. Learn on no medication - recall on no medication

  4. Learn on medication - recall on Att
• Mismatch between internal state at recall and learning = worse performance
• State Dependent Forgetting


  • Overton (1972) alcohol
  • Eich (1980) marijuana
• Leading Questions


  Loftus - investigated the impact of eyewitness testimony
• Leading Questions


  1. Students watched clips of car crashes

  2. Were asked how fast they were going when they: smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted
• Students watched a car accident clip and were asked: did you see any broken glass when they smashed or hit? Smashed = 16 (yes) and 34 (no), Hit = 7 (yes) and 43 (no)
• Post Event Discussion


  Contamination of information from other participants / media
• Post Event Discussion


  Gabbert (2003) - two participants watch films, one has different information, then asked to discuss what they had watched
• 71% mistakenly recalled information leading to memory conformity and a need for social approval
• Post Event Discussion


  • Loftus + Pucknell (2003) - Disney hand study with fake adverts of Ariel and Bugs Bunny, 30% had seen these characters however it is impossible for the participants to have seen them
• Anxiety and EWT


  When events are witnessed they create changes in the body - sweating, ↑ HR, adrenaline, worry and tension
• Weapon Focus


  Loftus (1987) - tunnel theory, the perpetrator has a weapon, focus takes attention away from other aspects - poor EWT, Loftus monitored eye movement on it
• Weapon Focus


  Johnson + Scott (1976): participants in a waiting room, person walks in with a pen, person walks in with a bloody knife, identify the man from 50 photos
• Low anxiety - 49% connect, High anxiety - 33% connect