Memory

Memory

1. Multi-store model

   • shows memory as a series of separate stores with info moved between each store in a linear way.
   • Encoding
     • TRANSFORMING INCOMING INFO INTO A FORM THAT CAN BE STORED IN THE MEMORY
   • Capacity
     • THE AMOUNT OF SPACE AVAILABLE TO HOLD INFO
   • Duration
     • LENGTH OF TIME THE MEMORY STORE HOLDS INFO
   • SENSORY MEMORY
     • INFORMATION FIRST ENTERS HERE
     • IF ATTENTION IS PAID
       • STM
         • STM RELIES ON ACOUSTIC CODING (remember things by what they sound like) 
         • Limited capacity
           • up to 7 pieces of info
           • forgotten after about 20 seconds
         • REPEATED AND REHEARSED
           • LTM
             • memories can last a lifetime
               • UNLIMITED CAPACITY
             • forgotten by TWO processes
               • INTERFERENCE
                 • MEMORIES BECOME CONFUSED WITH ONE ANOTHER
               • DECAY
                 • MEMORIES SIMPLY FADE AWAY
   • STRENGTH
     • EVIDENCE FROM CASE STUDIES
       • HM study
         • STM and LTM both functioned but was unable to move new memories from one to other
     • EXPERIMENTAL SUPPORT
   • LIMITATION
     • INVALID TO THINK STM IS SINGLE STORE
       • KF case study
         • shows there is VERBAL and VISUAL STM
         • Lost ability to deal with verbal info inSTM but could process visual info

2. STUDIES

   • Peterson & Peterson (1959)
     • LABORATORY EXPERIMENT (STM)
       • THEY STUDIED DURATION OF STM
       • Participants given nonsense trigram
         • TRIGRAM - a set of three letters which didn't mean anything.
         • Count out loud or backwards in 3's/4's until told to stop
           • THIS WAS TO STOP THEM REHEARSING
           • 3 SECOND INTERVAL = 80% REMEMBERED
           • 18 SECOND INTERVAL = LESS THAN 10%
             • SUGGESTS THAT INFORMATION WILL BE LOST FROM STM AFTER ~ 20 SECONDS WITHOUT REHEARSAL.
     • AIM
       • TO SEE HOW LONG A MEMORY WOULD STAY IN STM WITHOUT REPEATING OR REHEARSING
   • Baddeley (1966)
     • LABORATORY EXPERIMENT (STM & LTM)
       • Participants given list of words which SOUNDED similar or different
         • after a few seconds of rehearsing the similar words were harder to remember
           • THIS IS BECAUSE WE RELY ON THE SOUND OF WORDS IN THE STM
       • Participants given a list of words which MEANT similar or different things
         • AFTER 20 MINUTES
           • Recall using LTM the similar words were harder to learn
             • BECAUSE IN LTM WE RELY ON THE MEANING OF WORDS
     • AIM
       • UNDERSTAND WHAT FORM PEOPLE USED FOR ENCODING MEMORIES BY LOOKING AT ERRORS ON MEMORY TASKS