ESSAY PLANS
1. Outline and evaluate features of short-term memory
Coding – the form in which info needs to be transferred into in order
for it to be stored in memory – acoustic
Baddeley (1966) – gave ppts acoustically similar/dissimilar words to
learn. On recall after short period more mistakes made when
recalling acoustically similar words – showing confusion between
them. Demonstrated STM coded acoustically
Capacity – how much info can be stored in STM – 7 +/-2 items
Jacobs – used digit span test – kept adding digits to a set of numbers
until ppts couldn’t remember correctly. Could remember 9.3
numbers, 7.3 letters in correct order. Improved by chunking
Duration – how long info can be stored for – 18-30 secs
Peterson + Peterson – gave ppts trigrams, made them count
backwards from a 3 digit number to prevent maintenance rehearsal.
Increased time to recall by 3 secs each time. Recorded how long
they could remember accurately for
Supported by research from lab experiments
Highly controlled, eliminates EVs. Results only due to IV + studies
can be replicated
High internal validity, reliability + scientific credibility
COUNTERPOINT: artificial tasks + artificial environment
Many studies involve learning word / number list in controlled
environment
Doesn’t represent the way STM is used in everyday life
Results lack ecological validity – don’t explain how STM works in real
life
Coding might not just be acoustic
Brandimote et al (1992) – found ppts use visual coding in STM when
given a visual task + prevented from verbally rehearsing
Suggests there might be multiple types of coding in STM
Not valid to say coding is exclusively acoustic
Memory improves with age
Jacobs – recall increased w age – 8 year olds av 6.6 digits, 19 year
olds 8.6
Could be due to increase in brain capacity or people develop
strategies to improve memories when they get older
Suggests capacity of STM is not necessarily fixed at 7+/-2 –
influenced by individual differences
2. Outline and evaluate the multi-store model of memory
Consists of 3 separate stores – MSM describes how info flows
through memory system – linear fashion
, Sensory register – info from senses passes into SR – short duration,
high capacity, modality free coding
SR transfers info into STM – attention has to be paid
STM – duration about 18-30 secs, capacity 5-9 items, coding is
acoustic
STM transfers to LTM – maintenance rehearsal when repeated to
ourselves, keep in STM if we rehearse, rehearse enough passes to
LTM
LTM – permanent memory store, retrieval back to STM when we
want to recall memories – duration is up to a lifetime, capacity
unlimited, coding semantic
MSM supported by research – LTM + STM are different
Baddeley: we mix up acoustically similar words when using STM,
mix up semantically similar words when using LTM
Shows coding in STM is acoustic + in LTM is semantic
Supports MSM’s view that 2 memory stores are separate +
independent
COUNTERPOINT: uses artificial materials
Researchers like Baddeley ask ppts to recall random words
In everyday life we form memories to different useful things
Suggests MSM lacks external validity – findings may reflect how
memory works w meaningless material but not how it works in
everyday life
A limitation is that evidence suggests more than one type of STM
Shallice + Warrington studied KF – amnesia patient. STM for digits
was poor when they read them to him but recall was better when he
read himself
MSM states that STM is a unitary store – KF study suggests must be
one store to process visual info + another to process auditory
WMM is a better explanation for this finding – includes separate
stores
Suggests MSM is limited expl for how mem works
There might be other types of rehearsal besides just maintenance
Other ways to remember things long term besides just repetition
e.g. connecting info to prior knowledge or meaning
Known as elaborative rehearsal – not included in MSM
Shows how MSM is too simplistic, doesn’t fully explain how memory
works
3. Outline and evaluate the types of long-term memory
Episodic memory stores events from our lives – for example what
you ate for breakfast, what happened on your birthday
1. Outline and evaluate features of short-term memory
Coding – the form in which info needs to be transferred into in order
for it to be stored in memory – acoustic
Baddeley (1966) – gave ppts acoustically similar/dissimilar words to
learn. On recall after short period more mistakes made when
recalling acoustically similar words – showing confusion between
them. Demonstrated STM coded acoustically
Capacity – how much info can be stored in STM – 7 +/-2 items
Jacobs – used digit span test – kept adding digits to a set of numbers
until ppts couldn’t remember correctly. Could remember 9.3
numbers, 7.3 letters in correct order. Improved by chunking
Duration – how long info can be stored for – 18-30 secs
Peterson + Peterson – gave ppts trigrams, made them count
backwards from a 3 digit number to prevent maintenance rehearsal.
Increased time to recall by 3 secs each time. Recorded how long
they could remember accurately for
Supported by research from lab experiments
Highly controlled, eliminates EVs. Results only due to IV + studies
can be replicated
High internal validity, reliability + scientific credibility
COUNTERPOINT: artificial tasks + artificial environment
Many studies involve learning word / number list in controlled
environment
Doesn’t represent the way STM is used in everyday life
Results lack ecological validity – don’t explain how STM works in real
life
Coding might not just be acoustic
Brandimote et al (1992) – found ppts use visual coding in STM when
given a visual task + prevented from verbally rehearsing
Suggests there might be multiple types of coding in STM
Not valid to say coding is exclusively acoustic
Memory improves with age
Jacobs – recall increased w age – 8 year olds av 6.6 digits, 19 year
olds 8.6
Could be due to increase in brain capacity or people develop
strategies to improve memories when they get older
Suggests capacity of STM is not necessarily fixed at 7+/-2 –
influenced by individual differences
2. Outline and evaluate the multi-store model of memory
Consists of 3 separate stores – MSM describes how info flows
through memory system – linear fashion
, Sensory register – info from senses passes into SR – short duration,
high capacity, modality free coding
SR transfers info into STM – attention has to be paid
STM – duration about 18-30 secs, capacity 5-9 items, coding is
acoustic
STM transfers to LTM – maintenance rehearsal when repeated to
ourselves, keep in STM if we rehearse, rehearse enough passes to
LTM
LTM – permanent memory store, retrieval back to STM when we
want to recall memories – duration is up to a lifetime, capacity
unlimited, coding semantic
MSM supported by research – LTM + STM are different
Baddeley: we mix up acoustically similar words when using STM,
mix up semantically similar words when using LTM
Shows coding in STM is acoustic + in LTM is semantic
Supports MSM’s view that 2 memory stores are separate +
independent
COUNTERPOINT: uses artificial materials
Researchers like Baddeley ask ppts to recall random words
In everyday life we form memories to different useful things
Suggests MSM lacks external validity – findings may reflect how
memory works w meaningless material but not how it works in
everyday life
A limitation is that evidence suggests more than one type of STM
Shallice + Warrington studied KF – amnesia patient. STM for digits
was poor when they read them to him but recall was better when he
read himself
MSM states that STM is a unitary store – KF study suggests must be
one store to process visual info + another to process auditory
WMM is a better explanation for this finding – includes separate
stores
Suggests MSM is limited expl for how mem works
There might be other types of rehearsal besides just maintenance
Other ways to remember things long term besides just repetition
e.g. connecting info to prior knowledge or meaning
Known as elaborative rehearsal – not included in MSM
Shows how MSM is too simplistic, doesn’t fully explain how memory
works
3. Outline and evaluate the types of long-term memory
Episodic memory stores events from our lives – for example what
you ate for breakfast, what happened on your birthday
