Memory

Memory

1. The multi-store model

   • SM-> STM-> LTM.
     • SM- Encoding- visual, tactile, auditory. Capacity- very limited. Duration- brief.
     • STM- Encoding- acoustic. Capacity- 7+/-2. Duration- 2 seconds-20 minutes. Forgetting- mainly displacement.
       • Shallice & Warrington- Case of a young man (KF) who was in a motorcycle accident. His LTM was not affected but his STM was affected and could only have a recency effect of one item.
       • Peterson & Peterson- Looked at how long items stayed in the STM without rehearsal. 1. trigram e.g. LDH 2. count backwards in 3s e.g. 651... 3. Intervals of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 seconds asked to stop counting and rehearse the trigram. Findings- 80% recalled after 3 seconds but fewer than 10% after 18 seconds. Concluded rapid decay from STM
     • LTM- Encoding- semantic. Capacity- unlimited. Duration- unlimited. Forgetting- mainly interference.
       • Milner- Study of a man (HM) with severe epilepsy. He underwent brain surgery to remove part of his temporal lobes and hippocampus. His STM was in tact but was unable to recall events for about 10 years before surgery.
   • Pros- Important contribution to memory research as it was influential when first propsed. Cons- Over-simplified. No account as to what the different things are we remember.

2. The working memory model

   • Central exceutive split into the phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad. The phonological loop is split into the articulatory loop and phonological store. The visuo-spatial sketchpad is split into the inner scribe and visual cache. Propsed by Baddeley & Hitch.

3. Eyewitness testimony

   • The evidence given in court or in investigations by someone who has witnessed or crime or an accident. It can be affected by:
     • Anxiety- Loftus (weapon effect)- Two situations. In one they heard a discussion about equipment failure and a man with greasy hands came out the room holding a pen. In the other there was heated discussion and a man covered in blood holding a knife. Participants were given 50 photos and asked to identify the man. People in the peaceful scene were more accurate. 49% pen, 39% knife.
     • Age- Elderly have worse memory. Children have been found to be more willing to make a positive identification but they are often wrong (Dekle). They have also been found to be more susceptible to post-event information than adults.
     • Misleading information- Cohen & Faulkner- A film of a kidnapping was shown to elderly people and adults. Half were given the correct information and half were given misleading information. It concluded that the elderly were more susceptible to the misleading information.
   • Improving EWT- Cognitive interview- Context reinstatement (CR) mentally re-going over everything including feelings and thoughts. Report everything (RE). Recall from changed perspective (CP). Recall in reverse order (RO).

4. Memory Improvement

   • Mnemonics. Organsiation & understanding. Chunking. Rehearsal. Encoding. Attention & Practice