Memory (P1) Part 2

Memory (P1) Part 2

1. Retrieval failure

   • Absence of cues
     • Access of memory is restricted by the absence of cues
     • Context Dependent Forgetting (Godden and Baddeley)
       • Forgetting occurs when recall and encoding happens in different places
       • 40% higher recall in matching conditions
       • Supports CDF as recall was better in same conditions than different suggesting cues helped.
     • State Dependent Forgetting (Overton)
       • Tested recall abilities when Sober and Drunk
       • Supports SDF as recall was worse when in a different state (Drunk/sober) than in the same state (Drunk/Drunk)
     • :)
       • Can explain why interference affects recall
         • Tulvig and Psotka
           • Found recall was 70% with cues despite the amount of lists they had learnt.
             • Information is there we just cannot retrieve it.
       • :(
         • Retrieval cues don't work
           • Do not apply to real life situations
             • We encode everything we just cannot access it
           • Works in lab conditions
             • Baddeley-lacks ecological validity

2. Types of LTM

   • Episodic-Memory about experiences and feelings
     • Need to make a conscious effort to recall them
   • Semantic-Memory of facts
     • Knowledge about world that can be shared
   • Procedural-Knowing how to do things
     • Acquired through repetition
   • Negatives
     • Case studies
       • We cannot generalise it from a single study
         • Damage to certain area does not mean that area was responsible for a particular behaviour.
           • Therefore, it has a low population validity.
   • Positives
     • Case studies
       • HM- tell difference between declarative and procedural memories
         • HM- able to learn procedural info under experimental conditions.
     • Research on Alhzeimer's patients (Hodges and patterson)
       • Some patients can retain the ability to form new episodic memories but no semantic ones.
         • Supports multiple LTM some tasks work but some don't showing they are separate.

3. Interference

   • Proactive
     • Past memories prevent new ones being stored
       • New info forgotten
   • Retroactive
     • New info interferes with old
       • Old info forgotten
   • Occurs when 2 pieces of info clash causing one or both to be lost
   • More likely to occur if info is similar
   • :)
     • Thousands of studies
       • Highly controlled, reliability, EV can be controlled
         • Underwood- Ppts learnt lists, 24hrs later 80% recall, later fell to 20%
           • Suggests under control condition interference occurs
   • :(
     • Loss of info may be temporary
       • Ceraso- Memories not lost just temporarily inaccessable
         • Absence of cues from the environment could be a better explanation of forgetting