EXP3604 EXAM 2 CAHILL QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Sensory Memory- - -is a storage system that records information from each
of the senses with reasonable accuracy. The model proposed that
information is stored in sensory memory for 2 seconds or less, and then most
of it is forgotten
- Short-Term Memory- - -refers to the memory system that is responsible for
holding onto a small amount of information that has been recently taken in
from the environment. As we will see below, short- term memory has a
limited capacity, both in terms of the amount of time that the short-term
memory system can hold onto information and in the amount of information
that it can hold
- Chunk- - -is a memory unit that consists of several components that are
strongly associated with one another (Schwartz, 2011). Miller suggested,
therefore, that short-term memory holds approximately seven chunks
- Long-Term Memory- - -has a large capacity and contains your memory for
experiences and information that have accumulated throughout your lifetime
- Explain chunking in your own words and provide an example of how it is
used. How might this help when studying for an exam or memorizing a
phone number? - -Chunking is forming letters or numbers together that are
adjacent to each other. Suppose that your telephone area code is 617, and
all the office phone numbers at your college begin with the same digits, 346.
If 617 forms one chunk and 346 forms another chunk, then the phone
number 617-346-3421 really contains only six chunks (that is, 1+1+4). The
entire number may be within your memory span.
- Why might sensory memory be hard to prove? - -it's so abstract and hard
to study because it's taken in by the senses.
- How did Sperling's experiment demonstrate sensory memory? Use Whole
vs. Partial report in your response. - -It shows that you keep a visual image
in your brain for a fraction of a second, so when Sperlings used the 3
different tones for the participants to recall letters from each row they were
able to go into their brain and retrieve that particular row to recall the letters
in the short period of time (partial report) rather than when the participants
were asked to recall letter from the entire thing because they didn't know
where to look and once they got to the 5th letter, the image disappeared
(whole report)
, - Differentiate between sensory memory and short-term memory. - -The
term Sensory refers to the initial process of storing info that is perceived
through our senses. Short term memory includes the manipulation of the
temporary stored info
- What is the duration of short-term memory? - -15-30 seconds
- Brown/Peterson and Peterson technique- - -involves presenting
participants with some items that they are instructed to remember. Partici-
pants then perform a distracting task. After spending some time on the
distracting task, participants are subsequently asked to recall the original
items. This technique showed that our memory is fragile for material stored
for just a few seconds.
- Results of Brown/Peterson- - -On the first few trials, people recalled most
of the letters. However, after several trials, the previous letters produced
interference, and recall was poor. After a mere 5-second delay—as you can
see from Figure 4.1—people forgot approximately half of the letters they had
seen.
- Rehearsal- - -means repeating the items silently
- Serial-position Effect- - -refers to the U-shaped relationship between a
word's position in a list and its probability of accurate recall
- Recency Effect- - -better recall for items at the end of the list. Many
researchers have argued that this relatively accurate memory for the final
words in a list means that these items were still in short-term memory at the
time of recall. Mistakes based on sensory error.
- Primacy Effect- - -with enhanced recall accuracy for items at the beginning
of the list. These early items are presumably easy to remember for two
reasons: (1) They don't need to compete with any earlier items, and (2)
People rehearse these early items more frequently. Mistakes usually based
on meaning
- Delay and order of reports- - -affects short term and recency.
- Semantics- - -The meaning of words and sentences. In general, then,
semantic factors influence the number of items that we can store in short-
term memory. Specifically, words that we have previously stored can
interfere with the recall of new words that are similar in meaning (EX:
occupations vs fruit)
ANSWERS
Sensory Memory- - -is a storage system that records information from each
of the senses with reasonable accuracy. The model proposed that
information is stored in sensory memory for 2 seconds or less, and then most
of it is forgotten
- Short-Term Memory- - -refers to the memory system that is responsible for
holding onto a small amount of information that has been recently taken in
from the environment. As we will see below, short- term memory has a
limited capacity, both in terms of the amount of time that the short-term
memory system can hold onto information and in the amount of information
that it can hold
- Chunk- - -is a memory unit that consists of several components that are
strongly associated with one another (Schwartz, 2011). Miller suggested,
therefore, that short-term memory holds approximately seven chunks
- Long-Term Memory- - -has a large capacity and contains your memory for
experiences and information that have accumulated throughout your lifetime
- Explain chunking in your own words and provide an example of how it is
used. How might this help when studying for an exam or memorizing a
phone number? - -Chunking is forming letters or numbers together that are
adjacent to each other. Suppose that your telephone area code is 617, and
all the office phone numbers at your college begin with the same digits, 346.
If 617 forms one chunk and 346 forms another chunk, then the phone
number 617-346-3421 really contains only six chunks (that is, 1+1+4). The
entire number may be within your memory span.
- Why might sensory memory be hard to prove? - -it's so abstract and hard
to study because it's taken in by the senses.
- How did Sperling's experiment demonstrate sensory memory? Use Whole
vs. Partial report in your response. - -It shows that you keep a visual image
in your brain for a fraction of a second, so when Sperlings used the 3
different tones for the participants to recall letters from each row they were
able to go into their brain and retrieve that particular row to recall the letters
in the short period of time (partial report) rather than when the participants
were asked to recall letter from the entire thing because they didn't know
where to look and once they got to the 5th letter, the image disappeared
(whole report)
, - Differentiate between sensory memory and short-term memory. - -The
term Sensory refers to the initial process of storing info that is perceived
through our senses. Short term memory includes the manipulation of the
temporary stored info
- What is the duration of short-term memory? - -15-30 seconds
- Brown/Peterson and Peterson technique- - -involves presenting
participants with some items that they are instructed to remember. Partici-
pants then perform a distracting task. After spending some time on the
distracting task, participants are subsequently asked to recall the original
items. This technique showed that our memory is fragile for material stored
for just a few seconds.
- Results of Brown/Peterson- - -On the first few trials, people recalled most
of the letters. However, after several trials, the previous letters produced
interference, and recall was poor. After a mere 5-second delay—as you can
see from Figure 4.1—people forgot approximately half of the letters they had
seen.
- Rehearsal- - -means repeating the items silently
- Serial-position Effect- - -refers to the U-shaped relationship between a
word's position in a list and its probability of accurate recall
- Recency Effect- - -better recall for items at the end of the list. Many
researchers have argued that this relatively accurate memory for the final
words in a list means that these items were still in short-term memory at the
time of recall. Mistakes based on sensory error.
- Primacy Effect- - -with enhanced recall accuracy for items at the beginning
of the list. These early items are presumably easy to remember for two
reasons: (1) They don't need to compete with any earlier items, and (2)
People rehearse these early items more frequently. Mistakes usually based
on meaning
- Delay and order of reports- - -affects short term and recency.
- Semantics- - -The meaning of words and sentences. In general, then,
semantic factors influence the number of items that we can store in short-
term memory. Specifically, words that we have previously stored can
interfere with the recall of new words that are similar in meaning (EX:
occupations vs fruit)
