Memory Revision

Question 1

According to retrieval failure theory and the decay theory, explain why adults often cannot remember much of the content covered in secondary school. (4 marks)

Answer 1

• According to the decay theory, memories decay over time due to a lack of access of these memories. Therefore, adults who do not revise the information which they learnt in high school would fail to recall much of the content covered.
• Comparatively, the retrieval failure theory suggests that memories cannot be accessed due to a lack of the correct retrieval cues. This means that adults who fail to remember much of the content they covered in high school is due to the lack of a context-dependent cue such as returning to the school, or a state-dependent cue such as anxiety prior to a test.

Question 2

Describe the functions of the central executive division of Baddeley and Hitch’s model of working memory. (2 marks)

Answer 2

• To integrate information from both the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad.
• Suppresses irrelevant information.

Bonus stuff

• Helps to focus attention.
• Involved in decision making.

Question 3

How does the semantic network theory explain storage and retrieval of information in long-term memory. (4 marks)

Answer 3

• The semantic network theory suggests that long-term memories are stored hierarchically in order of more broad topics, to reach more specific information by means of linking similar nodes until the desired memory is retrieved.
• Therefore, long term memories are retrieved by accessing a general region of the network and then linking related and more specific information to retrieve the desired memory.
  Eg. Miranda thinks of the pope, white hair, a dog, her dog named John.

Question 4

Freud argued that individual’s used suppression and repression as tools in motivated forgetting. Define these terms and explain why they operate. (3 marks)

Answer 4

• Suppression is when an individual actively and consciously attempts to forget a memory.
• In contrast, repression is when an individual unconsciously forgets painful or unpleasant memories.
• Repression and suppression operate to allow individuals to function in their everyday lives without having to access a memory which could be traumatic or unhelpful - it is a coping mechanism.