Memory

Question 1

What is coding in memory?

Answer 1

The format in which information is stored in memory such as acoustic, visual, semantic.

Question 2

What is short term memory?

Answer 2

A temporary, limited-capacity store that holds information for immediate use.

Question 3

What is long term memory?

Answer 3

A permanent, potentially unlimited-capacity store of information.

Question 4

What is the duration of STM and LTM?

Answer 4

STM: about 18–30 seconds without rehearsal.
LTM: potentially lifetime.

Question 5

What is the capacity of STM and LTM?

Answer 5

STM: about 7±2 items.
LTM: potentially unlimited.

Question 6

What is the multi - store model?

Answer 6

A model by Atkinson and Shiffrin proposing separate memory stores (sensory register, STM, LTM) with information transferred by attention and rehearsal.

Question 7

How does STM and LTM code separately?

Answer 7

STM mainly codes acoustically (by sound); LTM mainly codes semantically (by meaning).

Question 8

What is the sensory register?

Answer 8

The initial store that briefly holds sensory information such as sound, taste, touch, smell or sight until it is attended to or lost.

Question 9

How is information from the LTM brought back into the STM to be used?

Answer 9

By retrieval.

Question 10

How is information from the STM brought into the LTM?

Answer 10

By rehearsal/ maintenance rehearsal.

Question 11

What is the research support in proving that STM and LTM are different? ( strength)

Answer 11

Research by Baddeley found that STM is mainly acoustically coded whereas LTM is mainly semantically coded. Participants confused similar sounding words in short term recall but similar meaning words in long term recall, supporting the MSM view that STM and LTM are separate stores with different properties.

Question 12

What is a counterpoint in the research support proving that LTM and STM are different?

Answer 12

However, some studies show that STM can also code semantically, especially when tasks involve meaningful material. This mean that it weakens the claim that they are entirely separate stores.

Question 13

What is one limitation of the multi store model in which there is evidence there is more than one STM store?

Answer 13

The cases by KF showed that he had an impaired verbal STM but visual STM remained the same. This suggests STM is not a single unitary store as MSM says, but has multiple components like verbal and visual, supporting the working memory model instead.

Question 14

What is another limitation of the multistore model in which that prolonged rehearsal isn’t needed for transfer to the LTM?

Answer 14

Research shows that information can enter LTM without extended rehearsal, for example through meaningful or emotional events. This suggests rehearsal is not the only way to LTM, opposing the MSM assumption that maintenance rehearsal is necessary for long term storage.