IAL Psychology: paper 1
a change in privately held views. However,
short duration may have been result of
participants’ daily exposure to large
numbers of faces.
It is probable that opinions were quickly
revised because of subsequent
experience, so that judgments of facial
attractiveness were reset back to the
original norm.
A resetting of individual judgment norms
could have occurred more quickly than it
would for classes of objects viewed
infrequently.
Evaluation: Order effects - practice or fatigue
Generalizable to both men and women but the participants were all Chinese, therefore it
cannot be generalized to people from other countries
Ethical - informed consent gained
2. Cognitive psychology
- Cognitive psychologists believe our mind is like an information processor: major influence on human
behaviour and emotion is how the mind processes information
- Emphasis is on information processing: comparing human brain to a computer
- Information comes into a computer through keyboards or software disc ⇾ human receive information
through their senses
- Computer runs programs to process information ⇾ humans process information via central nervous
system and brain
- Computer gives output in terms of printout ⇾ humans give variety of output in behaviour
2.1 Models & Theories of memory
- Memory: number of different abilities such as holding information briefly while working with it or
remembering episodes of one’s life
Three processes:
Encoding
- Encoding information = learning by perceiving information & relating it to past knowledge
Storage
- Storing memory, keeping and maintaining it over time
Retrieval
- Retrieving information and accessing it when needed
Multi-store model
Atkinson and Shriffin (1968) proposed the two-process model of memory
↳ Showed information flowing through two stores: short-term memory (STM), long-term memory (LTM)
Assumed existence of a sensory memory preceding the STM = termed multi-store model (MSM)
- Regarded stores as structural components + control processes
Information moves through the three systems under control of various cognitive processes
→ can be described as information processing model (computer): input, process, output
STM: decays rapidly + limited capacity
- Miller: we can hold around 5–9 items at any one given time (7± 2)
- Chunking of information can increase STM capacity
- If information not rehearsed within 15–30 seconds in STM ⇒ lost
15
, IAL Psychology: paper 1
Suggests we receive information through our five senses & automatically stored briefly in sensory register for
up to 2 seconds yet large capacity
Coding and rehearsal determine fate of information
- Rehearsal: key process → keeps information in STM
and transfers to LTM
- Material attended to in sensory register ⇾ STM,
sufficiently rehearsed ⇾ LTM
STM: mainly acoustic encoding
LTM: all types but prefers semantic
LTM capacity in infinite potentially stored forever
Working memory model
Baddeley and Hitch’s (1974) working memory model
↳ active store to hold and manipulate information currently being thought of
Consists of three separate components
- Central executive: controls attention & coordinates actions of
following components
- Most important part of working memory
- Limited capacity: briefly stores information
- Modality free: can store information in any sense
- Phonological loop
↳ information is rehearsed and stored in speech-based form, two
subsystems:
1. Inner voice: Articulatory control system
- Rehearses information verbally
- Time-based capacity of about 2 second
- Mentally rehearses information through repetition
2. Inner ear: Phonological store
- Uses sound-based code to store information
- Information decays after about two seconds unless rehearsed by inner voice
- Receives input either directly from ears or LTM
- Ex. favourite song memorized in phonological store
Visuospatial sketchpad: inner eye
- Stores and manipulated visual and spatial information
- Input from eye or LTM
Episodic buffer
- Fairly recent addition of the model (Braddeley, 2000)
- Binds together all information from other components with information about time and order
- Prepares memory for storage in episodic LTM
Reconstructive memory
Bartlett suggests memory is more of an imaginative reconstruction of past events influences by how we
encode, store and retrieve information
- Memory unlike a blank tape; changed when we recall it
- coding and retrieval depend on how well the event is processed
- Attitude and response to event changes our memory of it
- Schema theory → we use pre-existing schemas to interpret information & incorporate it into our
memory
- Used to fill in gaps within a story using expectations
- Mental ‘units’ of knowledge: correspond to frequently encountered people/ objects/ situation
- Aid encoding and guide retrieval but also capable of errors
- Capable of distorting unfamiliar or unconsciously ‘unacceptable’ information to ‘fit in’ with existing
knowledge or schemas
16
a change in privately held views. However,
short duration may have been result of
participants’ daily exposure to large
numbers of faces.
It is probable that opinions were quickly
revised because of subsequent
experience, so that judgments of facial
attractiveness were reset back to the
original norm.
A resetting of individual judgment norms
could have occurred more quickly than it
would for classes of objects viewed
infrequently.
Evaluation: Order effects - practice or fatigue
Generalizable to both men and women but the participants were all Chinese, therefore it
cannot be generalized to people from other countries
Ethical - informed consent gained
2. Cognitive psychology
- Cognitive psychologists believe our mind is like an information processor: major influence on human
behaviour and emotion is how the mind processes information
- Emphasis is on information processing: comparing human brain to a computer
- Information comes into a computer through keyboards or software disc ⇾ human receive information
through their senses
- Computer runs programs to process information ⇾ humans process information via central nervous
system and brain
- Computer gives output in terms of printout ⇾ humans give variety of output in behaviour
2.1 Models & Theories of memory
- Memory: number of different abilities such as holding information briefly while working with it or
remembering episodes of one’s life
Three processes:
Encoding
- Encoding information = learning by perceiving information & relating it to past knowledge
Storage
- Storing memory, keeping and maintaining it over time
Retrieval
- Retrieving information and accessing it when needed
Multi-store model
Atkinson and Shriffin (1968) proposed the two-process model of memory
↳ Showed information flowing through two stores: short-term memory (STM), long-term memory (LTM)
Assumed existence of a sensory memory preceding the STM = termed multi-store model (MSM)
- Regarded stores as structural components + control processes
Information moves through the three systems under control of various cognitive processes
→ can be described as information processing model (computer): input, process, output
STM: decays rapidly + limited capacity
- Miller: we can hold around 5–9 items at any one given time (7± 2)
- Chunking of information can increase STM capacity
- If information not rehearsed within 15–30 seconds in STM ⇒ lost
15
, IAL Psychology: paper 1
Suggests we receive information through our five senses & automatically stored briefly in sensory register for
up to 2 seconds yet large capacity
Coding and rehearsal determine fate of information
- Rehearsal: key process → keeps information in STM
and transfers to LTM
- Material attended to in sensory register ⇾ STM,
sufficiently rehearsed ⇾ LTM
STM: mainly acoustic encoding
LTM: all types but prefers semantic
LTM capacity in infinite potentially stored forever
Working memory model
Baddeley and Hitch’s (1974) working memory model
↳ active store to hold and manipulate information currently being thought of
Consists of three separate components
- Central executive: controls attention & coordinates actions of
following components
- Most important part of working memory
- Limited capacity: briefly stores information
- Modality free: can store information in any sense
- Phonological loop
↳ information is rehearsed and stored in speech-based form, two
subsystems:
1. Inner voice: Articulatory control system
- Rehearses information verbally
- Time-based capacity of about 2 second
- Mentally rehearses information through repetition
2. Inner ear: Phonological store
- Uses sound-based code to store information
- Information decays after about two seconds unless rehearsed by inner voice
- Receives input either directly from ears or LTM
- Ex. favourite song memorized in phonological store
Visuospatial sketchpad: inner eye
- Stores and manipulated visual and spatial information
- Input from eye or LTM
Episodic buffer
- Fairly recent addition of the model (Braddeley, 2000)
- Binds together all information from other components with information about time and order
- Prepares memory for storage in episodic LTM
Reconstructive memory
Bartlett suggests memory is more of an imaginative reconstruction of past events influences by how we
encode, store and retrieve information
- Memory unlike a blank tape; changed when we recall it
- coding and retrieval depend on how well the event is processed
- Attitude and response to event changes our memory of it
- Schema theory → we use pre-existing schemas to interpret information & incorporate it into our
memory
- Used to fill in gaps within a story using expectations
- Mental ‘units’ of knowledge: correspond to frequently encountered people/ objects/ situation
- Aid encoding and guide retrieval but also capable of errors
- Capable of distorting unfamiliar or unconsciously ‘unacceptable’ information to ‘fit in’ with existing
knowledge or schemas
16
