PAPER 1- TOPIC 2 MEMORY ✅

Question 1

Define coding

Answer 1

how information is formatted and stored in the various memory stores

Question 2

Describe the research on coding

Findings

Answer 2

Baddeley

• showed a list of words to 4 groups
• one group shown semantically similar words, one group semantically dissimilar, one acoustically similar and one acoustically dissimilar
• when asked to recall words, in order, immediately they recalled less acoustically similar words
• when asked to recall words after 20 mins they recalled less semantically similar words
• shows that info is coded acoustically in STM and semantically in LTM (as the way they are coded is similar, the words are jumbled and less is remembered)

Question 3

define capacity

Answer 3

the amount of information that can be held in a memory store

Question 4

Describe research on capacity

Answer 4

Jacob’s digit span test

• research reads out an increasing number of digits and the P repeats them back, until the P fails to recall them correctly
• mean digit span was 9.3
• mean letter span was 7.3

•Millers magic number 7
-STM can hold 7 +- 2 memories

Question 5

define duration

Answer 5

the length of time that information can be held in a memory store

Question 6

Describe research in duration of STM

Answer 6

Peterson and Peterson

• 24 students tested over a number of trials
• student given a consonant syllable (e.g. YCB) to recall after 3,6,9,12,15 seconds
• told to count backwards from a random number to prevent mental rehearsal
• found recall after 3 second was 80% but after 18 seconds it was 3 % (STM duration is 18 secs unless rehearsal is used)

Question 7

Describe research into duration of LTM

Answer 7

Bahrick et al

• studied about 400 Americans between 17 and 74
• asked to recall their high school classmates through: photo recognition and free recall (name as many in your class as you can)
• P’s within 15 years of graduation 90% were accurate in photo recognition
• P’s within 50 years of graduation 70% were accurate in photo recognition
• free recall declined from 60% to 30% for P’s 15 years and 50 years since graduation
• shows that LTM may last up to a lifetime

Question 8

who coined the multi store model

Answer 8

Atkinson and Shiffrin

Question 9

what does the multi store model show

Answer 9

• model that shows how information flows across 3 distinct memory storage systems, through processing
• and hows how memory works in these 3 stores

Question 10

Describe the sensory register in the multi store model

Answer 10

• all stimuli from environment passes into it
• unwanted info doesn’t pass further into the memory system (selective attention)
• has 5 sensory register (memory store) one for each sense
• info is coded modality-specific (depends on sense)
  e. g. visual info is coded into the iconic memory
  e. g. sound info is coded into the echoic memory
• duration for sensory register is half a second
• very high capacity (only processed further if attention payed to it)

Question 11

Describe the short term memory in the multi store model

Answer 11

a temporary store

• coding: acoustically
• duration: 18 seconds, unless rehearsed
• capacity: limited (7+-2)
• —-rehearsal keeps info in STM, if rehearse material over and over again (maintenance rehearsal), for long enough (prolonged rehearsal), info then goes into LTM

Question 12

Describe the long term memory in the multi store model

Answer 12

permanent store

• coded semantically
• duration is up to lifetime
• unlimited capacity
• to recall info, it transfer from the LTM into the STM (called retrieval)
• prolonged rehearsal passes info into LTM from STM

Question 13

define maintenance rehearsal (rehearsal loop)

Answer 13

• when we rehearse material over and over again, to retain it in the STM
• if rehearsed long enough, transfers to the LTM, due to prolonged rehearsal

Question 14

who coined the working memory model

what are the 5 components

Answer 14

(Baddeley)- a development of the MSM, acknowledging the MSM’s weakness of over-simplifying the STM

central executive
visuo-spatial sketchpad
episodic buffer
phonological loop
LTM

Question 15

what is the working memory model and what does it show

Answer 15

WMM is a ‘mental workspace’ that is active during temporary storing and manipulation of information, and shows how the STM is organised and how it functions during this

• retains information for a brief period while mental operations are performed on that information (with limited capacity)
• claims this is required for complex reasoning and learning

Question 16

Function of the central executive

capacity?

Answer 16

• monitors incoming data
• focuses and divides our limited attention
• co ordinates the activities of the slave systems, and allocates them to the memory data
• very low processing capacity, doesn’t store any information

Question 17

function of the phonological loop

coding??

• what stores are contained in this loop

Answer 17

• temporarily stores auditory information and preserves the order information arrives (coding is acoustic)

split into
- phonological store: stores words you hear

• articulatory control system: allows maintenance rehearsal (hold up to two seconds worth of what you say, to keep it in working memory when needed)

Question 18

function of visuo-spatial sketchpad

capacity??

what is it split up into

Answer 18

• stores visual and spatial information
• limited capacity of 3 or 4 objects (Baddeley)

(Logie) split it into:

• visual cache (stores visual data)
• inner scribe (records arrangements of the object in visual field)

Question 19

function of the episodic buffer

capacity??

Answer 19

added later on by Baddeley

• temporary store for information that integrates all the visual, spatial and verbal information processed by other stores
• maintains time sequencing (order it happens)
• it links the working memory to LTM and cognitive processes like perception
• limited capacity of about 4 chunks (Baddeley)

Question 20

Define a cognitive interview

who coined the techniques of the cognitive interview

Answer 20

method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories

-uses four main techniques : created based on psychology knowledge of how human’s memory works

(Fisher and Gesielman)

Question 21

Four techniques used in cognitive interviews

Answer 21

•Report Everything - recall all details, no matter how confident P is in it, or how trivial as could result in cues for other memories

•Reinstate the context
- return to the crime scene mentally and imagine the environment (what can you see, hear)
(context dependent forgetting)
- recall emotions (context dependent forgetting)
…… these may trigger cues for other memories

• Reverse the order- (middle to beginning or end to beginning) much harder to lie, prevents expectations of what must have happened
• Change perspective- perspective of different person,
• prevents recall of expectations
• prevents use of schema and what must have happened (e.g. schema of particular setting may generate expectations)

Question 22

What changes were made in the Enhanced Cognitive Interview

Answer 22

-Fisher added elements focusing on the social interaction to make the witness more comfortable and less anxious

e. g.
- interviewer needs to know when to make and break eye contact
- making witness speak slowly
- minimising distractions
- asking more open questions