Sensory memory

Sensory memory

1. sensory encoding operates so that a stimuli is transformed into some sort of coding that is propagated through the peripheral nervous system

   • light energy is transformed into a sensory code that is captured by visual receptors

2. neisser (1967): three naive beliefs about the nature of visual perception (naive realism):

   • 1. Visual experience directly mirrors the stimulus
   • 2. The visual experience starts and ends with the corresponding onset and offset of the stimulus itself
   • 3. The visual experience express a passive copy of the stimulus that may be fully understood by noting down the participant's verbal reports
   • the idea that our perceptions of the world are direct and truthful copies of it
   • iconic memory
     • in order to test it we flash the stimulus to the participants and they have to recall them verbally
       • the charachters has to be familiar and easy to name
       • Sperling (1960): presented an array containing 3 rows of 4 letters in two conditions: the full report and the partial report
         • in both conditions a trial began with the presentation of a central fixation point
           • the participant pressed a key and then 500 ms later the participant was presented with the stimulus display for 50ms which then it was replaced by the original fixation field
             • in the full report condition the participants had to report all the letters from the stimulus display
               • the average correct responds was 4.5 letters
             • in the partial-report condition, the participants were cued through a tone from which row to report the letters
               • the participants were able to report 3 out of 4 letter from a row