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PSYC1020Weeks 9 & 10, Part A:

Memory (Approaches,

Stores, Size, general findings,

constructive processes & memory

reliability, semantic memory,..)

7/30/2019 Psychology - The brain and memory

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Overview of Lectures 9 & 10:

Memoryo  Basic processes in memory – encoding,storage, & retrieval

o  Paradigms & General Research Strategy

o  ‘Classic’ 3-store memory model: sensorymemory, short-term memory, long-termmemory

o  Short-term memoryo  Demo: size, duration, & chunking 

o  Long term memoryo  Demo: serial position effects

o  Cognitive memory researcho  (re-)constructive processs

o  Demo: abstraction

o  Semantic memory

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¢  Three basic processes needed for any

succesful act of remembering:

¢  Encoding

¢  Storage

¢  Retrieval

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Basic processes of memory

¢  Encoding = transform sensory stimuli into a form that can beplaced in memory

¢  Storage = effectively retaining information for later use

¢  Retrieval = locating the item and using it (e.g. recall vs

recognition

Encoding Retrieval

I’m

Jane Jo?

Joan?

Jane?

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General Research Strategy for the

‘Verbal Learning’ Approach to

Memory

Memory is a function of X

repetitionword length

word frequency

list length

serial positioncontext

• where memory is

objectively measured(eg. verbal recall or recognition)

• x is any objectively

manipulated stimulus

or environmentalvariable

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Memory structures combined:

 Atkinson & Shiffrin Model (1968)

Stimuli SensoryRegister 

Short term

memory

Lost Lost Lost

Phonological loop

Long term

memory

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1. Sensory register : storage system that registers(and briefly holds) information from the senses

(a) Iconic memory - related to the visual system- < ½ second duration

- 9 to 10 items (Sperling, 1960)

(b) Echoic memory - related to the auditory system

- ~ 2 seconds duration

- ~ 5 items

Memory structures: 3 different stores

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2. Short term memory (STM): intermediate storage

system that briefly holds information prior to consolidation

o   Also called working (or active) memory… this relates to a

more complex model by Baddeley & Hitch (1974). Not on

the exam.

o  How large is STM? How long does it last? Consider 

memory span / digit span studies

Memory structures: 3 different stores

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STM Research

What is the ‘size’ or storage capacity of STM?

Digit Span Task

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

%correct

recall

100% 

50%

 

0

Number of items

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Short term memory task 1

Try to remember the following digits

(and write them down when asked to

recall)

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STM Research

What is the ‘size’ or storage capacity of STM?

Digit Span Task

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

%correct

recall

100% 

50%

 

0

Number of items

7± 2

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Short term memory (STM)

o  ~ 30 seconds duration

o  Measure recall for varying length digit lists: 7 ± 2

o  But you can inflate this score… 

Memory structures: 3 different stores

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Short term memory (STM)

o  “Chunking”: units of subjective organisation

o  For example: - phone numbers 3485 9235

- student numbers- credit cards 4567 2373 3537 4854

o  Use what works well for you

Memory structures: 3 different stores

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Short term memory task 2

Try chunking the information

for these 16 digits

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3. Long term memory (LTM): storage system

that retains information for a long period of 

term

o  Large capacity.

o  Long duration

o  Different types of LTM

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Free recall study

Remember these 15 words

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Free recall study

1 5 10 15

% correctrecall by

class

0

100

Serial position

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Free recall – some general effects

¢  Primacy effect : memory best for things learnedfirst

¢  Recency effect : memory also good for thingslearned last (but mostly this isSTM contribution to the task)

¢  Context: memory is better when you are in the

context you learned the material in

¢  Internal state: memory is better when your internalstate is the same as at the time of learning

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General Research Strategy for the

‘Verbal Learning’ Approach to

Memory:

Memory is a function of X

repetition

word length

word frequency

list length

serial position

context

• where memory is

objectively measured(eg. verbal recall or recognition)

• x is any objectively

manipulated stimulus

or environmentalvariable

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Cognitive Research &

Constructive Processes

¢  Bartlett (1932): “schema” memory

¢  Bransford: “abstractions” 

¢  Loftus: eyewitness studies

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Last memory demonstration this

lecture… 

Try to remember these sentences.

Indicate which ones you heard before

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¢  Bransford (1971) – memory abstraction

o  Abstraction = cognitive process by which westore the meaning of a message and not the

exact wording and grammatical structure

Cognitive Memory Research

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¢  Bartlett (1932): “schema” memory

o Schema = set of ideas about objects and

events associated with familiar activity

o For example: Classic study of Cambridge

students’ memory (serial reproduction) for 

passages from American Indian folk story The

war of the ghosts. 

Cognitive Memory Research

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o  Loftus’ research into “eyewitness memory” 

We (and our legal systems) take memory accuracyfor granted, but Loftus and many others have

shown that post-event leading questions can

distort memory

Cognitive Memory Research

Loftus & Palmer (1974): eye

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Loftus & Palmer (1974): eye-witness memory for events

following post-event “leading” 

questions¢  Event: Video of an automobile collision

¢  Question: “How fast were the cars goingwhen they ________?” l  Group a: “hit each other ” 

l  Group b: “smashed into each other ” 

¢  One week later: “Do you remember seeingbroken glass?” 

l  Group a: 14% say yes

l  Group b: 32% say yes

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o  Semantic vs Episodic 

o  Episodic = memory for specific events

o  Semantic = general knowledge

o 

Procedural (implicit) vs Declarative (explicit)

o  Procedural = without awareness of remembering

o  Declarative = conscious recollection

Long Term Memory - Types

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Episodic vs Semantic Memory

¢  Episodic Memory: memory for particular 

events

¢  Semantic Memory: General knowledge

l  eg. Who or what is Julia Gillard?

l  eg. Do cows have feathers? Does Julia?

l  eg. Does Tony Abbot lay eggs?

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Overall… 

o  Long term memory has a very large storagecapacity, and is generally enduring, but involvesdynamic (changeable) processes which can readilydistort memories.

o  Memory is heavily influenced by how we encodeand arrange information and by its meaning to us.

o Consequently, memory plays a large role in howwe think, solve problems and make decisions, aswe shall see in the last two lectures of thesemester.

Final two weeks: Thinking (problem solving &decision making