Multi-store - The idea that
info passes through a
series of memory stores
Sensory store - holds
info received from
senses for a short time
Short-term - holds
about 7 pieces of info
for limited time
Long-term - holds
vast amount of info
for long time
Recency effect - info
received later is recalled
better than old info
Primacy effect - first info
received is recalled better
than subsequent info
Reconstructive memory -
altering recollection so they
make more sense to us
Structural processing -
thinking about physical
appearance of the word
Phonetic processing -
thinking about sound of
a word
Semantic processing -
thinking about
meaning of words
Levels of processing - The
depth at which info is thought
about when trying to learn it
Interference - Things we
learn that make it difficult
to recall other info
Retroactive interference -
Info we learn stops us
recalling old info
Proactive interference - old
info stops us learning new info
Context - General setting
or environment in which
activities happen
Anterograde amnesia - Being
unable to learn new info after
suffering brain damage
Hippocampus - A
brain structure is
crucial for memory
Retrograde amnesia - loss of
memory of past events before
brain damage occured
Reliability - In context
of eyewitness testimony
so it is accurate
Leading questions - Question
that hints particular answers
Cognitive interview - Method
of questioning witnesses that
involves recreating context
Stereotype - An
oversimplified set of
ideas we have about
others
Multi-store model
Peterson and Peterson
A - To see if rehearsal was
necessary to hold info in
the short-term store
M - Pps given list of 3 leters (RND
OHR PLI). Then asked to count bck
in 3s from 100 for different lengths
of time to prevent rehearsal. They
then had to recall.
R - Most Pps had forgotten
nearly all words by 18 seconds
C - We can't hold info
in short-term store
unless rehearsed
E - Lacks eco validity
PA - Postcodes are only 7
letters/numbers so they
fit in short-term store
Murdock
A - To provide evidence to
support multi-store model
M - Pps learnt a list of
words, two seconds
per word, and then
recalled them in order
R - Words at the end of the
list were recalled first
(recency effect), then words
from beginning (primacy
effect) but words from
middle were poorly recalled
C - This provides
evidence for
separate short-term
and long-term store
E - Lacks eco validity.
Levels of
processing
Craik and Lockhart
A - To see if the type of
question asked about
words will have an
effect on number of
recalled words
M - Pps given a list of words, one
at a time, and asked questions
about them (yes or no answers).
Some questions required
structural processing, others
phonetic and the rest semantic.
They then had to identify these
words from a longer list.
R - Pps identified
70% semantic words,
35% phonetic words
& 15% structural
C - The more deeply info is
processed, the more likely
it is to be remembered
E - Doesn't explain why deeper
levels of processing helps
memory. Lacks eco validity
Interference
Underwood and Postman
A - To see if new learning
interferes with previous learning
M - Pps divided into 2
groups. Group A learned two
lists of word pairs and group
and Group B just learned one
R - Group B's
recall was
more accurate
C - New learning
causes people to recall
old info less accurately
PA - Study habits: only
revise one subject at a
time
E - Used independent
groups design
Context
Godden and
Baddeley
A - To see if people who learn and
are tested in same environment
can recall more than those in
different environments
M - Pps were deep-sea divers. Split
into 4 groups. All given same list to
learn and were tested in different
environments
Group 1 learnt
underwater and
recalled underwater
Group 2 learnt
underwater and
recalled on the shore
Group 3 learnt on
the shore and
recalled underwater
Group 4 learnt on
the shore and
recalled on the shore
R - Groups 1 and
3 recalled best
C - Recall of info will be
better in same
environment as learning
E - Lacks
eco validity
PA - Revise in similar
environment to exam
Brain damage and forgetting
Milner et al.
A patient with epilepsy had an
operation where 2/3 of his
hippocampus was removed
He couldn't learn
new things
The hippocampus is
needed for new memories
Some people suffered
brain damage and couldn't
recall old memories.
This is retrograde
amnesia
Russell and Nathan
22 yr old patient fell off
motorbike, hit his head and
suffered from concussion
X-rays showed no fractures of
skull but he couldn't remember
anything two years prior
Eyewitness testimony
Loftus and Palmer (Leading questions)
A - To see if leading
questions affect
accuracy of recall
M - Pps shown film of car accident. Some were
asked 'How fast was the car going when it HIT
the other car' Others were asked 'How fast was
the car going when it SMASHED the other car'
R - Pps that heard the word
'smashed' said a higher speed
C - Leading questions
reduce the accuracy recall
Bruce and Young
(Unfamiliar faces)
A - To see if familiarity
affects accuracy of
identifying faces
M - Psychology lecturers caught on
security cameras at entrance of a building.
Pps asked to identify faces seen on security
cameras from some high-quality photos
R - Lecturers' student
made more correct
identifications than
police and other
students
C - Previous familiarity
helps identifying faces
Geiselman et al. (context)
A - To see if reinstating
context of event affects
accuracy of recall
M - Pps shown police training
footage of violent crime. 2 days later
they were interviewed about it. Half
of the pps, context recreated. Half
standard police interview
R - Pps who had
recreated context
recalled more
C - Recreating context during
interviews increases accuracy of recall.
This is called cognitive interview
E - Some pps may have experienced
similar things and changed what
they saw because of this
Cohen
A - To see if stereotypes
affects memory
M - Pps shown a video of a man and woman in
a restaurant. Half were told she was a librarian
and half were told she was a waitress. They
then had to descrine her personality
R - The two groups gave
different descriptions which
matched stereotypes of
waitresses and librarians
C - Stereotypes
reduce
accuracy of
accounts
Reconstructive memory
Bartlett
A - To see if people, when
given something to
remember, will alter info
M - Pps asked to read
a Native American
legend calle 'War of
the Ghosts'. They had
to recall several times
that week
R - Pps found it hard to
remember some parts.
They changed it so it
made sense to them
C - Our memory
is influenced by
our own beliefs
E - Only English
pps studied
Wynn and Logie
A - To see if recall of
familiar stories changed
like in Bartlett's study
M - Uni students asked to
recall first week at uni several
times throughout the year
R - The accuracy of
descriptions remained the
same throughout the year
C - Memories of
familiar events won't
change over time