AQA Psychology Memory
Notes
KEY:
Topic
A01 or A03
Subheading
Sub-sub heading
Strength
Limitation
PSYCHOLOGIST NAME
, Coding, Capacity and Duration
A01
Coding
Format information and is stored in various memory stores.
Different memories are stored in different formats.
BADDELEY experiment
Gave different groups different lists to remember:
o Acoustically similar. (sound)
o Acoustically dissimilar (sound)
o Semantically similar (meaning)
o Semantically dissimilar (meaning)
Findings:
o When recall immediately: worse at recalling acoustically similar
o When recall after 20 mins: worse at recalling semantically similar
Capacity
Amount of information held in the memory.
Digit span:
o How much information can the short term memory store
o Practical: give 4 digits to recall out loud and continue until you get it wrong.
o The mean digit span is 7.3 letters.
Span and memory chunking.
o Everyone remembers and sees things in 7s (E.g. 7 days in a week)
o Span of the Short term memory is 7.
Duration
Length of time information is held in memory.
Short Term Memory
PETERSON tested 24 undergrads in 8 trials.
Gave them a consonant syllable and had to count back from 100 in terms of 3s
Long Term Memory
BATRICK studied 392 people aged 17-74 and asked to recall name from photo recognition
After 15 years 90% could recall name, and after 48 years 70% could recall.
, Multi-store model
A01
Process
1. Stimulus from environment
2. Sensory register
3. Short term memory store
4. Prolonged rehearsal to long term memory
5. Retrieval back to short term memory
6. Response (remembering)
Features of the mutli-store model
Sensory register
Coding
o Visual = visually
o Sound = acoustically
Capacity
o Over ½ million cells in eye
Duration
o Less than half a second.
Short term memory
Coding
o Acoustically.
Capacity
o 5-9 times
Duration
o 18 seconds
Processes involved
o Rehearsal allows transfer to long term memory store
Long term memory
Coding
o Semantic
Capacity
o Unlimited
Duration
o Timeless.
Processes
o Transfer back to the short term memory for recall
A03 – Evaluation
, Supported by evidence
GLANZER AND CUNITZ found participant remembered words from beginning and end of a list because
they have rehearsed the words at the beginning so they are in long term memory and ones at the end
are in Short term Memory.
Different parts of the brain are responsible for different stores
o BEARDSLEY: pre-frontal cortex is active for the short term memory
o SQUIRE: Hippocampus active for the long term memory
There could be more than one long term memory and short term memory store
People with amnesia use short term memory for tasks.
E.g. KF could remember what he read but not what he heard after his accident, showing there are
multiple short term memory stores.
More than one type of rehearsal
CRAIK AND WATKINS say that maintenance makes a memory stay in the short term memory and
elaboration means information transfers to the long term memory for storage.
Elaboration is a type of rehearsal used to link new information with existing knowledge.
Notes
KEY:
Topic
A01 or A03
Subheading
Sub-sub heading
Strength
Limitation
PSYCHOLOGIST NAME
, Coding, Capacity and Duration
A01
Coding
Format information and is stored in various memory stores.
Different memories are stored in different formats.
BADDELEY experiment
Gave different groups different lists to remember:
o Acoustically similar. (sound)
o Acoustically dissimilar (sound)
o Semantically similar (meaning)
o Semantically dissimilar (meaning)
Findings:
o When recall immediately: worse at recalling acoustically similar
o When recall after 20 mins: worse at recalling semantically similar
Capacity
Amount of information held in the memory.
Digit span:
o How much information can the short term memory store
o Practical: give 4 digits to recall out loud and continue until you get it wrong.
o The mean digit span is 7.3 letters.
Span and memory chunking.
o Everyone remembers and sees things in 7s (E.g. 7 days in a week)
o Span of the Short term memory is 7.
Duration
Length of time information is held in memory.
Short Term Memory
PETERSON tested 24 undergrads in 8 trials.
Gave them a consonant syllable and had to count back from 100 in terms of 3s
Long Term Memory
BATRICK studied 392 people aged 17-74 and asked to recall name from photo recognition
After 15 years 90% could recall name, and after 48 years 70% could recall.
, Multi-store model
A01
Process
1. Stimulus from environment
2. Sensory register
3. Short term memory store
4. Prolonged rehearsal to long term memory
5. Retrieval back to short term memory
6. Response (remembering)
Features of the mutli-store model
Sensory register
Coding
o Visual = visually
o Sound = acoustically
Capacity
o Over ½ million cells in eye
Duration
o Less than half a second.
Short term memory
Coding
o Acoustically.
Capacity
o 5-9 times
Duration
o 18 seconds
Processes involved
o Rehearsal allows transfer to long term memory store
Long term memory
Coding
o Semantic
Capacity
o Unlimited
Duration
o Timeless.
Processes
o Transfer back to the short term memory for recall
A03 – Evaluation
, Supported by evidence
GLANZER AND CUNITZ found participant remembered words from beginning and end of a list because
they have rehearsed the words at the beginning so they are in long term memory and ones at the end
are in Short term Memory.
Different parts of the brain are responsible for different stores
o BEARDSLEY: pre-frontal cortex is active for the short term memory
o SQUIRE: Hippocampus active for the long term memory
There could be more than one long term memory and short term memory store
People with amnesia use short term memory for tasks.
E.g. KF could remember what he read but not what he heard after his accident, showing there are
multiple short term memory stores.
More than one type of rehearsal
CRAIK AND WATKINS say that maintenance makes a memory stay in the short term memory and
elaboration means information transfers to the long term memory for storage.
Elaboration is a type of rehearsal used to link new information with existing knowledge.
