Memory Systems Overview

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Questions and Answers

What does working memory encompass?

Short-term memory and processing (correct)

Only processing abilities

Long-term memory features

Visual and auditory memory

Which component is NOT part of the fluid systems in working memory?

Episodic long-term memory (correct)

Central executive

Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Phonological loop

What evidence supports the distinction between short-term and long-term memory?

Immediate recall is unaffected by delays

Memories in long-term memory can be recalled instantly

Short-term memory has a known limit in capacity

Patients store details of thousands of items (correct)

What phenomenon is observed in both immediate and delayed recall?

Recency effect Signup and view all the answers

Which theory suggests a continuum between short-term and long-term memory?

Duplexity theory Signup and view all the answers

What are the main factors determining efficient encoding and later rehearsal according to the emotional-integrative model?

Surprise, emotionality, and personal importance of the event Signup and view all the answers

What does the emotional-integrative model suggest happens after an event that is both surprising and emotionally significant?

It results in detailed and durable memory representations. Signup and view all the answers

According to the findings of Hirst et al. (2015), what occurs during the first year after a flashbulb event like September 11, 2001?

Rapid forgetting is observed. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following concepts challenges the idea that flashbulb memories are special?

System event characteristics and rehearsal influence memory. Signup and view all the answers

What has been suggested about the recall of non-existent events as flashbulb memories?

They demonstrate the fallibility and reconstructive nature of memory. Signup and view all the answers

What type of amnesia does Patient HM primarily experience?

Anterograde amnesia Signup and view all the answers

Which patient group demonstrates normal short-term memory but impaired long-term memory?

Patient Group B Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the hippocampus in relation to memory?

It facilitates the binding of item-location in working memory. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of long-term memory is associated with biographical events?

Episodic memory Signup and view all the answers

What memory type is exemplified by learning to play the piano?

Implicit memory Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about flashbulb memories is true?

They are vivid memories of emotional public events. Signup and view all the answers

What evidence suggests a dissociation between short-term memory and long-term memory?

Results from the Peterson task demonstrating STM problems. Signup and view all the answers

What component is NOT associated with explicit (declarative) long-term memory?

Priming effect Signup and view all the answers

What are the three main processes involved in memory?

Storage, Encoding, Retrieval Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory is responsible for brief retention of sensory information?

Sensory memory Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following methods is associated with the levels of processing theory?

Engaging in deep semantic processing Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon occurs when rapid decay happens in sensory memory after an event?

Iconic memory fading Signup and view all the answers

What did the study by Peterson and Peterson (1959) primarily investigate?

The duration of short-term memory under distraction Signup and view all the answers

What is a distinguishing feature of 'flashbulb memory'?

It refers to vivid and detailed memories of significant events. Signup and view all the answers

According to the modal/stage model of memory, which sequence correctly describes the flow of information?

Sensory Memory → Short-Term Memory → Long-Term Memory Signup and view all the answers

What was the main finding from the experiment involving fixation and letter recall?

Memory performance improved with the presentation of a tone after letter display. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Memory Systems

Memory is essential for understanding the world and oneself
Memory is essential for life. Without memory, there is no life, because memory provides coherence, reason, and feeling, even action.

Three Separable Processes

Encoding: Entering information into the memory system
Storage: Retaining memories over time
Retrieval: Finding and recovering stored memories

Basic Distinctions in Memory

Sensory Input → Sensory Memory → Short-Term Memory → Long-Term Memory

Sensory Memory

Visual: Iconic memory
Speech-based: Echoic memory

Experiment

Fixation: Display letters (1/20 sec.)
Display: Letters, Tone, Pitch
Report: High, medium, low pitches associated with letters
Recall: Recalling letters after presentation was poor with just letters. When presented with tone, recall was excellent.

Short-Term Memory Duration

Peterson and Peterson (1959), Brown (1959) studied this
Counting backwards from 49, then recalling words, decreased recall probability with increasing interval between the two.
This could be due to confusion between lists (e.g., Keppel and Underwood, 1962).

Modal/Stage Model

Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
Memory depends on process, not just time in short term
Some patients have severe short-term memory deficits without clear long-term memory deficits
Explains storage in unitary store

Levels of Processing

Craik and Tulving:
- Shallow, grapheme-based tasks ~43% recognised
- Intermediate, phoneme-based tasks ~63% recognised
- Deep, semantic-based tasks ~90% recognised

Working Memory

Baddeley and Hitch (1974), Baddeley (2012)
Short-term memory + processing
Crucial for abilities such as educational attainment (Gathercole et al., 2008).

Fluid Systems

Central executive
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
Episodic buffer
Phonological loop

Crystallized Systems

Basic Distinction in Memory

Long-term memory has enormous capacity but no known duration limits.
Patients can store details of thousands of items (Brady et al., 1008).

Memory as a Unitary System?

Melton (1963) proposed a continuum of short and long-term memory instead of separate systems.

Primacy and Recency

Primacy and recency in immediate and delayed recall (Postman and Phillips, 1965).
Recency effect is often still observed in long-term recall. How is this possible? How do we explain this? (Perhaps through temporal discrimination)

Evidence from Neuropsychology

Neuropsychological double-dissociations
- Different patients differ in short-term and long-term memory impairment.
- Supports the idea of independent cognitive functions underlying the tasks.
- This helps rule out task difficulty as a basis for observations.

Amnesia

Patient HM: (Scoville and Milner, 1957; Milner, 1966) bilateral hippocampal damage, severe anterograde amnesia, limited retrograde amnesia
Jon (hippocampal amnesic): item-location binding in working memory
Short-term memory patients: (e.g., KF) opposite pattern in memory issues; double dissociation between short and long-term memory.
Impairments: Peterson task, other short-term memory tasks, recency in free recall. Spared ability for long-term memory tasks.

Long-Term Memory

Explicit (declarative):
- Episodic: (biographical events) recalling events, such as remembering a word list or a-level results
- Semantic: (words, ideas, concepts) recalling concepts and facts, such as elephants living in Africa or their a-level exam results.

Implicit (non-declarative)

Procedural (skills): Learning to play an instrument, emotional conditioning, and priming effect.

Flashbulb Memory

"Snapshot" memory of emotional, public events, and moments
Importance, distinctiveness, consequentiality, and proximity are determinants.

Memory

Is a broad term (Pezdek, 2003, Ost et al., 2002).
Likely a collection of interacting systems.
Crucial for understanding oneself and interacting with the world.

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Description

Explore the essential components of memory systems, including encoding, storage, and retrieval. Understand the distinctions between sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory through engaging experiments. This quiz delves into foundational concepts that explain how we retain and recall information.