AN INTRODUCTION TO MEMORY

AN INTRODUCTION TO MEMORY

1. 3 stages of remembering

   • 1 - ENCODING - information is transformed into a code to be used in the memory system
   • 2 - STORAGE - information is retained temporarily or permanently
   • 3 - RETRIEVAL - stored information is put to use

2. Types of memory

   • SENSORY memory stores sensory information for a few seconds. Information that has been attended to will go to STM for processing
     • The ICONIC store holds visual information
       • Sperling 1960
         • Found that participants had access to information in the visual buffer but they had difficulty in recalling it before it decayed
     • The ECHOIC store holds auditory information
       • Darwin, Turvey and Crowder 1972
         • We can store at least 7-9 pieces of information in the echoic store for a few second (CAPACITY)
     • The HAPTIC store holds touch based information
     • Sensory memory has a DURATION of 300 milliseconds for visual stimulation, and 2 seconds for auditory information
   • STM and WORKING memory stores information for a few seconds. It is either forgotten or stored in LTM
     • STM holds sensory events, movements and cognitive information for a brief period of time
       • Miller (1956)
         • We can hold about 5-9 pieces of information
           • LTM can assist STM by gathering pierces of information in STM so they form a chunk
       • Information is retained in STM through rehearsal - sub-vocal articulation
         • Peterson and Peterson (1959)
           • If information isn't rehearsed, it will decay within 18 seconds
     • WM plans and carries out behaviour (Miller 1960)
       • WM can be a multi-component system that holds and manipulates information in STM
       • Can be used for attention to manage STM
       • Can be used as a STM applied to cognitive tasks
       • The working memory model
         • STM/WM
           • Central executive - integrates information and focuses attention
             • Phonological loop - temporarily stores auditory and verbal information
               • Phonological store and Articulatory rehearsal
             • Episodic buffer - link between WM and LTM
             • Visuo-spatial sketchpad - temporarily stores visuo-spatial information
               • Inner scribe and Visual cache
         • Baddeley and Hitch
       • Salame and Baddeley
         • Vocal background music disrupts verbal STM/WM
   • LTM is a permanent store for information
     • Declarative/Explicit memory - memories consciously recalled, such as facts and knowledge
       • Episodic memory - autobiographical memories, such as personal events
       • Semantic memory - general knowledge
     • Non-declarative/implicit memory - influences behaviour without conscious retrieval
       • Procedural memory - knowing how and having ability to do things
       • Perceptual representation memory/priming - fast processing of previously presented stimuli
     • Prospective memory - ability to remember things in the future
       • Time based
       • Event based

3. ATKINSON and SHIFFRIN's theory

   • The sensory memory collects and stores sensory information for further processing
     • Information that is attended to is transferred into STM/WM

4. Atkinson and Shiffrin's 1968 multi-store model

   • Environmental input
     • Sensory memory
       • Attention
         • STM
           • Rehearsal
             • LTM
           • Forgetting

5. Glanzer and Cunits 1966

   • The primacy effect - words presented first are remembered
   • The recency effect - words presented last are remembered
   • Middle words are forgotten due to interference

6. Brain damaged patients sometimes show a double-dissociation- a lesion in a particular area of the brain impairs particular functions

   • Broca's patients can no longer speak but understand language
   • Wernicke's patients can no longer understand language but can produce jumbled speech