Psychology memory

• What is the multi-store model of memory proposed by Atkinson & Shiffrin in 1968?

  The multi-store model consists of three components: sensory register, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
• How does information flow through the multi-store model of memory?

  Information passes sequentially from one component to the next in a linear fashion.
• What are the key features of each memory store in the multi-store model?

  • Sensory Register:
  • Coding: Modality specific, raw information
  • Capacity: Unknown, but supposedly unlimited
  • Duration: Less than one second (approximately 250 milliseconds)

  
  

  • Short-Term Memory (STM):
  • Coding: Acoustic
  • Capacity: 7±2 'chunks'
  • Duration: Approximately 20 seconds

  
  

  • Long-Term Memory (LTM):
  • Coding: Semantic
  • Capacity: Unlimited
  • Duration: Lifetime

  
• What is the coding type of information in the sensory register?

  The coding type in the sensory register is raw, unprocessed information from all five senses.
• What is the capacity of the sensory register?

  The capacity of the sensory register is unknown but supposedly unlimited.
• What is the duration of information in the sensory register?

  The duration is very limited, approximately 250 milliseconds.
• What is the capacity of short-term memory (STM)?

  The capacity of STM is 7±2 'chunks' of information.
• What is the duration of short-term memory (STM)?

  The duration of STM is approximately 20 seconds.
• How is information coded in short-term memory (STM)?

  Information in STM is coded acoustically.
• What is the capacity of long-term memory (LTM)?

  The capacity of LTM is unlimited.
• What is the duration of long-term memory (LTM)?

  The duration of LTM is a lifetime.
• How is information coded in long-term memory (LTM)?

  Information in LTM is coded semantically, by meaning.
• What research supports the multi-store model of memory?

  • Miller (1956): Supports STM capacity of 7±2 chunks.
  • Baddeley (1966): Supports different types of encoding in STM and LTM.
  • Peterson & Peterson (1959): Supports limited duration in STM.
  • Bahrick (1975): Supports unlimited duration in LTM.
• What was the aim of Miller's (1956) study on STM?


  The aim was to investigate the capacity of short-term memory.
• What method did Miller (1956) use in his study?


  Miller conducted a literature review of published investigations into perception and STM.
• What were the results of Miller's (1956) study?

  Miller found that organizing stimulus input into chunks enabled STM to cope with about seven chunks of information.
• What conclusion did Miller (1956) draw from his study?


  Miller concluded that organization can extend the capacity of STM.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Miller's (1956) study?


  Strengths:

  • Supported by psychological research (e.g., Jacobs, 1887).
  • Provides insight into chunking as a memory strategy.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Did not specify how large each chunk could be.
  • Lacks consideration of other factors affecting capacity, such as age.

  
• What was the aim of Peterson & Peterson's (1959) study?

  The aim was to investigate how different short intervals affect the recall of items presented verbally and to infer the duration of STM.
• What method did Peterson & Peterson (1959) use in their study?

  Participants were presented with trigrams and had to count backwards to prevent rehearsal.
• What were the results of Peterson & Peterson's (1959) study?

  The longer the interval, the less accurate the recall; 80% recall at 3 seconds and 10% at 18 seconds.
• What conclusion did Peterson & Peterson (1959) draw from their study?


  STM has a limited duration of approximately 18 seconds without rehearsal.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Peterson & Peterson's (1959) study?

  Strengths:

  • Highly controlled laboratory study.
  • Easy to replicate for reliability.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Sample of psychology students may lead to demand characteristics.
  • Low ecological validity due to the use of trigrams.

  
• What was the aim of Bahrick's (1975) study?


  The aim was to investigate the duration of long-term memory.
• What method did Bahrick (1975) use in his study?


  Participants were shown photographs from their high school yearbook and asked to match names to faces.
• What were the results of Bahrick's (1975) study?

  90% of participants matched names and faces after 14 years, and 60% after 47 years.
• What conclusion did Bahrick (1975) draw from his study?


  Bahrick concluded that certain types of information, such as names and faces, can be remembered for almost a lifetime.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Bahrick's (1975) study?


  Strengths:

  • Provides evidence for the lifetime duration of LTM.
  • Uses real-life memories, enhancing ecological validity.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Lacks population validity due to the sample being American university graduates.
  • Unable to determine if LTM accuracy decreases over time.

  
• What percentage of participants were able to correctly match names and faces 14 years after graduating?

  90%
• What percentage of participants were able to correctly match names and faces 47 years after graduation?

  60%
• What conclusion did Bahrick reach regarding the memory of names and faces?


  People can remember certain types of information, such as names and faces, for almost a lifetime.

  
• How does Bahrick's research support the Multi-Store Model (MSM)?

  It supports the idea that long-term memory (LTM) has a lifetime duration and is semantically encoded.
• What was the sample size used in Bahrick's research?

  392 American university graduates
• What is a limitation of Bahrick's research regarding population validity?

  The results cannot be generalized to other populations, such as students from the UK or Europe.
• What did Bahrick find regarding the accuracy of long-term memory after 14 and 47 years?

  The accuracy was 90% after 14 years and 60% after 47 years.
• What is the significance of the findings regarding the accuracy of LTM over time?

  It raises questions about whether LTM becomes less accurate due to limited duration or age-related decline.

  
• Why could Bahrick's study be considered to have high ecological validity?


  Because it used real-life memories by matching pictures of classmates with their names.
• Who is the case study that supports the MSM mentioned in the material?

  Clive Wearing
• What happened to Clive Wearing after contracting a virus?

  He could only remember information for 20-30 seconds but could recall past information, like his wife's name.

  
• What does Wearing's case suggest about memory formation in the MSM?

  It supports the idea that memories are formed by passing information from one store to the next in a linear fashion.