Memory

• Define memory

  The ability to preserve and recover information we have learned and experienced and refers to the processes that are used to store, retain, acquire and retrieve information.
• What's an engram?

  A memory trace that is stored within the brain and can be extracted
• Explain coding for the sensory register

  Sense specific - detects the incoming information, rather then trying to decode it
• Explain the coding for STM

  Mostly acoustic (Baddeley 1966)
• Explain the coding for LTM

  Mostly semantic (Baddeley 1966)
• Explain the capacity for the STM

  7+/- 2 items (Miller 1956)
• Explain the capacity for the sensory register

  Very large (Sperling 1960)
• Explain the capacity for LTM

  Unknown but very large
• Explain the duration for the sensory register

  250 milliseconds (Sperling 1960)
• Explain the duration for the STM

  18-30 secs without rehearsal (Peterson + Peterson 1959)
• Explain the duration for the LTM

  Lifetime with cues (Bahrick 1975)
• Explain the procedure for Baddeley's cat/mat study

  • Had 4 lists - list A was acoustically similar, list C was semantically similar and lists B + D were control lists
  • Condition one - Pps had to read the list of words then write them down straight away
  • Condition two - Pps had 20 mins to learn the list of words then write them down
• Explain the findings for Baddeley's cat/mat study

  In condition one, list A was recalled the worst showing the STM is coded mostly acoustically due to acoustic confusion

  In condition two, list C was recalled the worst showing the LTM is coded mostly semantically due to semantic confusion
• Explain Miller's magic number experiment

  After Jacobs study in 1887, he found pps could recall a digital span of 5-9 digits of length in their STM. Therefore, Miller came up 7 +/- 2 items.
• Explain the procedure for Peterson + Peterson 1959 trigram retention study

  • Pps were asked to read a nonsense trigram
  • They then had to count back in 3s from a large number in a specific time period
  • This time period called the retention interval and varied from 3-30 secs
  • Pps then had to recall the nonsense trigram
• Explain the findings in the trigram retention study

  Pps were able to recall the nonsense trigram when the retention interval was below 30 secs and it varied from 18-30 sec before pps couldn't recall it
• Explain the procedure for Bahrick 1975 high school year book study

  • Had 400 pps between the ages of 17-24 in the USA
  • Task one - free recall: asked to name everyone in their year of high school
  • Task 2 - cued recall: asked pps to recognise people they knew from a photo
  • Task 3 - cued recall: same as task 2 but with names instead of photos
• Explain the findings for Bahrick's high school study

  Task 1 - everyone did bad

  Task 2+3 - everyone did good

  Shows capacity of LTM is lifetime but cues are required
• Explain the role of the sensory register in the MSM

  Information from our environment enters via the 5 senses and the sensory register then acts as a filter; only if attention is paid it will be moved to the STM
• Explain the role of the STM in the MSM

  STM is a temporary store we are consciously aware of and info will only last for 18-30 seconds and only 7+/- 2 items can be stored at once. Info must be rehearsed in the rehearsal loop to avoid decay or displacement so it can be moved to the LTM
• Explain the case study of K.F 1970

  K.F's memory was impaired after a motorbike accident where he suffered a significant brain injury
• How does the study of K.F support + challenge the MSM?

  Support - Had a reduced capacity in his STM of only 1-2 items however his LTM was fine showing the must be in separate locations of the brain

  Challenge - K.F's difficulties in capacity in STM were only for verbal items, his visual and acoustic were fine showing that the model is too simple as the STM was more then one store
• Explain the case study of Clive Wearing 1988

  Clive's LTM was damaged when he got herpes as if destroyed parts of his temporal lobes but his STM works fine.
• How does the case study of Clive support + challenge the MSM?

  Support - Shows the STM + LTM are located in different areas of the brain as only his LTM was damaged

  Challenge - Model is too simple as only his episodic memories didn't work, his procedural and semantic were fine suggesting there are more then one type of store for the LTM
• What's the central executive?

  The central executive drives the whole system and allocates info to subsystems depending on the cognitive demand. Also, it restricts conscious awareness to 2 items, one for each subsystem.
• What's visuo - spatial sketchpad?

  Atemporary storage system for visual and spatial info and contains two sub-systems; visual cache which stores visual info like colour and form and inner scribe which stores spatial relationship.
• What's the phonological loop?

  A temporary storage systems for auditory and verbal info and contains two sub-systems; phonological store which represents info according to pitch and loudness (inner ear) and articulatory process holds words for recall to avoid decay (inner voice).
• What's the episodic buffer?

  Binds together info from the different sources into 'episodes' and recalls material from the LTM and integrates it into the STM when required.
• How does the case study of K.F support or challenge the WSM?

  Supports as it shows how the phonological loop and visuo - spatial sketchpad are located in different areas of the brain as K.F only damaged his phonological as he couldn't speak.
• How do PET scan support or challenge the WSM?

  Support - show that different areas of the brain are used when undertaking verbal and visual tasks (e.g. counting back from 20 out loud or watching a moving pattern)

  Challenge - Scans don't show evidence of the central executive and episodic buffer
• Explain a semantic memory

  Located in the cerebrum, facts/ knowledge of what words + concepts mean (general knowledge) and it's retrieved consciously (explicit) + acknowledged e.g what a tree is and what a cat looks like
• Explain an episodic memory


  Located in the hippocampus, ability to recall events from life, memories include time, people, objects, places + behavior and are retrieved consciously (explicit) and acknowledged e.g eating breakfast in the morning and what you did last weekend
• Explain a procedural memory


  Located in the cerebellum, focuses on knowledge of how to do things, learned practical skills + memory muscles and can't be retrieved consciously (implicit) + done without acknowledgement. e.g writing, walking, swimming
• How do brain scans support or challenge types of LTM?

  PET scans show the prefrontal cortex and large areas of the cerebrum were involved in recalling semantic memories but episodic were found in the hippocampus and procedural in the cerebellum. Supports views that there is physical reality to the diff types of LTM adding validity
• How does the case study of Clive support or challenge types of LTM?

  Damaged his hippocampus therefore lost all episodic memories like personal experiences but his procedural and semantic were fine. Supports idea that the different types of LTM are located in different areas.
• What does interference mean?

  Form of forgetting occurs when one memory disrupts our ability to recall another
• What does retroactive interference mean?

  Occurs when newly acquired info inhibits our ability to recall previously acquired similar information
• What does proactive interference mean?

  Occurs when previously acquired info hinders the recall of current similar info
• What does PORN mean in interference forgetting?

  Proactive

  Old - interferes with new

  Retroactive

  New - interferes with old
• Explain the procedure of McGeoch and McDonald's study of similarity of items in interference

  3 lists: list one - adjective list (all pps), list two - number list (group 2 only) and list three - adjective list (group 3 only)

  Group 1 - Just learn and recall list one

  Group 2 - Learn list one and list two then recall list one

  Group 3 - Learn list one and list three then recall list one