Samuel Nesbitt
This topic includes:
1- Features of LTM and STM
2- The multi-store memory
3- The Working Memory Model
4- Types of LTM
5- Explanations for forgetting: Interference
6- Explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure
7- EWT: Misleading information
8- EWT: Anxiety
9– EWT: Cognitive interview
,Psychology Year 1 Memory Samuel Nesbitt
1. Features of Each Memory Store
Explain what is meant by duration, capacity and coding in relation to memory [6]
1. Duration – is the length of time information can be held in a memory store
2. E.g. the duration of STM without rehearsal is about 18-30 seconds and the duration of LTM is potentially a life
time.
3. Capacity – is the amount of information that can be held in a memory store.
4. E.g. the capacity of STM is about 5-9 items and the capacity of LTM is potentially unlimited.
5. Coding – the code is the format in which information is stored in the various memory stores and coding is
the process of converting that format into another.
6. E.g. STM, is coded acoustically whereas LTM is coded semantically.
Outline what research has shown about the duration of STM and/or LTM [4]
1. STM: Peterson and Peterson found that when 24 students were given a consonant syllable (trigram) e.g. BFK
to remember whilst counting down backwards a 3-digit number for either, 3,6,9,12,15 or 18 seconds -
2. – that on average 80% of syllables were recalled correctly with 3-second retention intervals but after 18
seconds, the average recall fell to less than 5% showing that the duration of STM is about 18-30 seconds.
3. LTM: Bahrick et al found that when 392 pps aged 17 and 74 were asked to recall faces from their high school
yearbooks –
4. – that on average pps who were tested 15 years after graduation were about 90% accurate and after 48
years, it was 70% accurate suggesting that the duration of LTM can last potentially a lifetime.
Outline what research has shown about the capacity of short-term memory [4]
1. Jacob – found that when pps were asked to read a four-digit number and increase it until they could no
longer recall the order correctly –
2. – that the mean span for digits was 9.2 and the mean span for letters was 7.3
3. Miller – found using everyday observation that things come in sevens, e.g. 7 notes of the week, 7 deadly sins
4. – He concluded that the mean span of STM is about 7 items, plus or minus 2 but this can be improved by
chunking which is grouping sets of numbers/letters into meaningful units.
Outline what research has shown about coding in STM and LTM [4]
1. STM – Baddeley found that when 4 groups of pps were given a different list of words to remember,
acoustically similar or dissimilar and semantically similar or dissimilar that-
2. Immediate recall was worse with acoustically similar (words which sounded the same)
3. LTM – However, when pps were asked to recall them after 20 minutes, they were worse with semantically
similar words (words which have similar meaning.)
4. This shows that LTM is therefore coded semantically and STM is coded acoustically.
2
, Psychology Year 1 Memory Samuel Nesbitt
Outline one difference between the duration of STM and LTM [3]
1. A difference between the duration of STM and LTM is that STM has a duration of about 18-30 seconds
whereas LTM has a duration of potentially a lifetime.
2. This was shown by Peterson and Peterson who found that recall for consonant syllables without rehearsal
was on average 80% accurate within a 3-second interval but less than 5% after 18 seconds.
3. Recall in LTM on the other was found by Bahrick et al. to be 70% accurate after 48 years when pps were
asked to recognise faces from their high school yearbook.
Outline one difference between the capacity of STM and LTM [3]
1. A difference between the capacity of STM and LTM is that STM has a capacity of about 5-9 items whereas
LTM has an unlimited capacity.
2. This was shown by Jacob who found that the mean digit span was 9.2 and for letters it was 7.3
3. Miller also found that everyday things come in sevens, such as days in the week, notes on a musical scale and
concluded that the span of STM is about 7 items (plus or minus 2) whereas there has been no research to
suggest that there was a limit to how much a person can store in their LTM.
Outline one difference between the coding of STM and LTM [3]
1. A difference between the coding of STM and LTM is that STM is coded acoustically whereas LTM is coded
semantically.
2. This was shown by Baddeley et al. who found that when 4 groups of pps were given a different list of words
to remember, acoustically similar or dissimilar and semantically similar or dissimilar that immediate recall
was worse with acoustically similar (words which sounded the same)
3. However, when pps were asked to recall them after 20 minutes, they were worse with semantically similar
words (words which have similar meaning.
3
This topic includes:
1- Features of LTM and STM
2- The multi-store memory
3- The Working Memory Model
4- Types of LTM
5- Explanations for forgetting: Interference
6- Explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure
7- EWT: Misleading information
8- EWT: Anxiety
9– EWT: Cognitive interview
,Psychology Year 1 Memory Samuel Nesbitt
1. Features of Each Memory Store
Explain what is meant by duration, capacity and coding in relation to memory [6]
1. Duration – is the length of time information can be held in a memory store
2. E.g. the duration of STM without rehearsal is about 18-30 seconds and the duration of LTM is potentially a life
time.
3. Capacity – is the amount of information that can be held in a memory store.
4. E.g. the capacity of STM is about 5-9 items and the capacity of LTM is potentially unlimited.
5. Coding – the code is the format in which information is stored in the various memory stores and coding is
the process of converting that format into another.
6. E.g. STM, is coded acoustically whereas LTM is coded semantically.
Outline what research has shown about the duration of STM and/or LTM [4]
1. STM: Peterson and Peterson found that when 24 students were given a consonant syllable (trigram) e.g. BFK
to remember whilst counting down backwards a 3-digit number for either, 3,6,9,12,15 or 18 seconds -
2. – that on average 80% of syllables were recalled correctly with 3-second retention intervals but after 18
seconds, the average recall fell to less than 5% showing that the duration of STM is about 18-30 seconds.
3. LTM: Bahrick et al found that when 392 pps aged 17 and 74 were asked to recall faces from their high school
yearbooks –
4. – that on average pps who were tested 15 years after graduation were about 90% accurate and after 48
years, it was 70% accurate suggesting that the duration of LTM can last potentially a lifetime.
Outline what research has shown about the capacity of short-term memory [4]
1. Jacob – found that when pps were asked to read a four-digit number and increase it until they could no
longer recall the order correctly –
2. – that the mean span for digits was 9.2 and the mean span for letters was 7.3
3. Miller – found using everyday observation that things come in sevens, e.g. 7 notes of the week, 7 deadly sins
4. – He concluded that the mean span of STM is about 7 items, plus or minus 2 but this can be improved by
chunking which is grouping sets of numbers/letters into meaningful units.
Outline what research has shown about coding in STM and LTM [4]
1. STM – Baddeley found that when 4 groups of pps were given a different list of words to remember,
acoustically similar or dissimilar and semantically similar or dissimilar that-
2. Immediate recall was worse with acoustically similar (words which sounded the same)
3. LTM – However, when pps were asked to recall them after 20 minutes, they were worse with semantically
similar words (words which have similar meaning.)
4. This shows that LTM is therefore coded semantically and STM is coded acoustically.
2
, Psychology Year 1 Memory Samuel Nesbitt
Outline one difference between the duration of STM and LTM [3]
1. A difference between the duration of STM and LTM is that STM has a duration of about 18-30 seconds
whereas LTM has a duration of potentially a lifetime.
2. This was shown by Peterson and Peterson who found that recall for consonant syllables without rehearsal
was on average 80% accurate within a 3-second interval but less than 5% after 18 seconds.
3. Recall in LTM on the other was found by Bahrick et al. to be 70% accurate after 48 years when pps were
asked to recognise faces from their high school yearbook.
Outline one difference between the capacity of STM and LTM [3]
1. A difference between the capacity of STM and LTM is that STM has a capacity of about 5-9 items whereas
LTM has an unlimited capacity.
2. This was shown by Jacob who found that the mean digit span was 9.2 and for letters it was 7.3
3. Miller also found that everyday things come in sevens, such as days in the week, notes on a musical scale and
concluded that the span of STM is about 7 items (plus or minus 2) whereas there has been no research to
suggest that there was a limit to how much a person can store in their LTM.
Outline one difference between the coding of STM and LTM [3]
1. A difference between the coding of STM and LTM is that STM is coded acoustically whereas LTM is coded
semantically.
2. This was shown by Baddeley et al. who found that when 4 groups of pps were given a different list of words
to remember, acoustically similar or dissimilar and semantically similar or dissimilar that immediate recall
was worse with acoustically similar (words which sounded the same)
3. However, when pps were asked to recall them after 20 minutes, they were worse with semantically similar
words (words which have similar meaning.
3
