coding capacity and duration

• What does coding refer to in memory stores?

  Coding refers to the format or ‘type’ of information stored in each memory store.
• How does coding differ between short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM)?

  Coding is acoustic in STM and semantic in LTM.
• What did Baddeley (1966) demonstrate about memory recall?


  Baddeley found that more mistakes are made when recalling acoustically-similar words immediately and semantically-similar words after 20 minutes.
• What is the capacity of short-term memory according to Miller?

  The capacity of STM is thought to be 7 +/- 2 items.
• What does Miller's idea about chunking suggest?

  Miller's idea suggests that we are predisposed to remembering groups of 7 items, which can help us recall information.
• What were the mean letter and digit spans demonstrated by Jacobs?

  The mean letter span was 7.3 and the mean digit span was 9.3.
• What is the duration of short-term memory?

  The duration of STM is 18-30 seconds.
• How did Petersen et al (1959) demonstrate the duration of STM?


  Petersen et al found that increasing retention intervals decreased the accuracy of recall of consonant syllables.
• What is the duration of long-term memory according to Bahrick et al (1975)?


  The duration of LTM is unlimited.
• What did Bahrick et al (1975) find regarding photo recognition over time?

  Bahrick found that photo recognition of graduating classmates decreased from 90% to 70% between 15 years and 46 years after graduating.
• What is a key issue with historical psychological research, particularly concerning Jacobs' study?

  A key issue is the lack of standardisation and appreciation of scientific methods, leading to unreliable results.
• Why is the methodology of current laboratory experiments considered more reliable than Jacobs' study?

  Current laboratory experiments control extraneous and confounding variables, producing highly reliable and valid data.
• What is a strength of Bahrick et al's 1975 study?


  A strength is the use of meaningful stimuli and high mundane realism, suggesting high ecological validity.
• What are the key issues with the Petersen et al and Miller et al studies?

  They feature low mundane realism and use artificial stimuli, limiting the ecological validity and generalisability of findings.
• What recent research suggests about Miller's estimate of STM capacity?

  Recent research suggests that Miller may have over-exaggerated the capacity of STM, which is more similar to 4 chunks.
• What might reflect the outdated methodologies adopted by Miller?

  The lack of control over confounding variables may have contributed to Miller's inaccurate estimate of STM capacity.