AQA AS and A Level Psychology- Memory

Course Outline This course includes all topics outlined by AQA for the AS and A Level Psychology. The following resources are ordered as they are in the textbooks, with the topics including: Coding, capacity and duration Multi-store model Working memory model Types of LTM Interference as an explanation for forgetting Retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting Factors affecting eyewitness testimony- misleading information (leading questions and post event discussion) Factors affecting eyewitness testimony- anxiety (positive and negative effect) Cognitive interviews The first 9 resources are mind maps, each one outlining the aforementioned topics. This includes evaluative/discussion points.  After that, there are 16-marker plans. These are specifically created for A Level students, however the information included is almost exactly the same for 12-markers in the AS Level paper. Each topic has a general plan of what to include in an answer, including necessary information for outlining the topic, research which supports or opposes the theories/evidence provided, and evaluation points. You may know of other ideas or researchers that you want to include, but these plans give a basic outline of what should be included. Following the 16-marker plans is a set of cue cards, named 'Researchers and their research'. In this resource, the front of the cue card has the topic researched (e.g. types of LTM) and the back includes the name of the researcher, when they conducted the research, an outline of what they did, and any other further information that could prove useful. Finally, there is a comprehensive quiz on all of the topics. Most questions revolve around definitions, evaluation points, and researchers. There is less description in this quiz- it wouldn't be practical- however the previous resources should help you with your answers. Don't be discouraged if some of your answers are classed as wrong even if they are actually correct- I can only enter one correct answer, but that doesn't mean yours is technically wrong.               

Mind Map 1- this mind map includes descriptions of what coding, capacity and duration are, as well as research into short term memory and long term memory, and their subsequent coding, capacity and duration. If you are asked to evaluate or discuss coding, capacity and duration, you should focus primarily on the research; much of it has significant flaws that can be discussed in depth. 

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Mind Map 2- this mind map includes descriptions of the stages of the multi-store model, such as the sensory register, STM, rehearsal, LTM, and retrieval. It also includes evaluation points for the multi-store model; the model was heavily criticised for oversimplifying many aspects of memory. When discussing the model, you can use the coding, capacity and duration research outlined in the previous resource to use as supporting/opposing research, and research by Tulving into the types of LTM. In your A Level year, your 16 marker answers should refer to other elements of the course; don't just stick to simple, generic evaluation points. You need to be able to elaborate on your evaluation points, so simply saying "It's not a full explanation" won't be enough. Expand on that point by discussing aspects such as how it suggests the LTM is a unitary store, but contradictory research by Tulving suggests otherwise. I therefore cannot be a full explanation.

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Mind Map 3- this mind map outlines the working memory model, including the elements of it and their functions. It also includes evaluative points on the model. The working memory model may be a more advanced model of the STM, but it is not perfect. Certain elements, such as the central executive, lack clarity. Something to remember when answering long answer questions is that you cannot simply state evaluation point after evaluation point. Try, if you can, to link them together. Not only does it mean you get higher marks for elaboration, but it gives your work a fluency that I can pretty much guarantee an examiner will appreciate and reward.

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Mind Map 4- this mind map primarily outlines Tulving's research into the 3 types of LTM: episodic, semantic and procedural. It also includes evaluation points. In this case, one of the main problems with these 3 types of LTM is that there may only be 2: declarative and non-declarative. In your essay responses, if you get a question on a topic such as this one where there are very few limitations, don't panic. You're not expected to provide equal weighting to both strengths and weaknesses!

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Mind Map 5- this mind map describes the explanation for forgetting called interference. The three main elements you need to remember for this topic are the difference between retroactive and proactive interference, the fact that similarity worsens interference, and the validity of the research evidence. 

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Mind Map 6- this mind map outlines the explanation for forgetting called retrieval failure. Ironically enough, this is probably the topic I find hardest: there's a lot of research evidence! However, both Carter and Cassaday's study and Godden and Baddeley's study follow a similar idea: there are 4 conditions, 2 matching and 2 non-matching, and they both found that recall was better when the state or context was matching.

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Mind Map 7- this mind map describes both post event discussion and leading questions. Often in exams, questions regarding these topics include a scenario, so don' forget to refer to them! You don't need to rewrite the entire scenario, but make sure a clear link is made in your answer. For example, use sentence stems such as 'In Person X's case...' or 'This is seen when Person X...'

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Mind Map 8- this mind map includes information on how anxiety affects eyewitness testimony. If a question asks you about how anxiety affects EWTs, I would recommend mentioning both negative and positive effects, and then the explanation of the contradictory evidence. This explanation can be written in a single sentence, but is a helpful discussion point and can be further evaluated e.g. too simplistic. This is one of the topics where I'd really suggest learning the specifics of the 2 main studies: both have a lot going on, but it is all very important information to remember when you get into the exam. Familiarise yourself, with which study supports what, the method of the study, and the findings. 

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Mind Map 9- the final mind map! This one is fairly simple; you just need to remember the 4 main elements of the cognitive interviews, and maybe a few elements of the enhanced cognitive interview. A lot of the evaluation will focus on real life application; how practical really is it compared to the standard interview?

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AQA A Level Psychology- Memory 16 mark question plans for each topic. While technically created for A Level 16 mark questions, this note involves all information for all topics, so is also useful for AS Level 12 markers. 1- coding, capacity, duration 2. Multi-store model 3. Working memory model 4. Types of LTM 5. Interference 6. Retrieval failure 7. Factors affecting EWT- misleading information 8. Factors affecting EWT- anxiety 9. Cognitive interviews

You're all done with the mind maps for now! This element of the course is technically for the 16 mark questions in the A Level paper, however, it is also relevant for AS Level 12 mark questions, and includes information which could easily be applied to short answer questions. It covers all 9 topics, and each topic is outlined and evaluated, including the key elements of the idea/theory. This is a good revision tool for all types of questions as it essentially has all of the essential information from the textbook in one place. I've put key points in bold, so you may want to utilise this resource to create your own revision tools. 

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Cue cards outlining who did what research into memory, a very brief outline of the research, and when they did it. (AS)

These cue cards have been created in such a way that you should try to memorise which researcher investigated different elements of memory. It's surprisingly difficult in exams when the question says "Outline psychological research done into the effects of similarity in the interference explanation". Chances are, you'll know the researcher, but the phrasing of the question will throw you. I can guarantee that if you go over these a few times, you should start remembering the key elements of the research.

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AQA Psychology Memory quiz for AS. Covers all topics in the AQA Psychology textbook, including researchers, evaluations and theories. Made for my own benefit, so not all questions will help you out, but feel free to use.

Having completed all other elements of this course, you have now studied all of the information present in this quiz. Most of the questions are fairly simple and multi-choice, but should help reinforce any information you're unsure on. I made this quiz last year, in my AS year when my knowledge of memory was slightly more limited, so you may find that there are some parts that lack total elaboration. Don't be discouraged if you don't get 100%- some of the questions are worded in such a way that I know what I mean, but it might not be as clear to you! I would recommend checking your answers as you go along. This way, you can change any incorrect answers and (hopefully!) understand why the answer was wrong. 

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