AQA A Level Psychology – Memory, STM and LTM, and
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Forgetting (Exam Questions with Correct Answers)
Description:
This document provides exam-style questions and verified answers on memory
within AQA A Level Psychology. It covers studies on STM and LTM, including
encoding, capacity, and duration. Models such as the Multi-Store Model and
Working Memory Model are explained alongside research evidence. The resource
also includes evaluation points on interference, retrieval failure, and practical
applications of memory research.
Study of capacity of STM - answer✔✔Miller (Immediate Digit Span Test) Jacobs
Support Study of duration of STM - answer✔✔Peterson and Peterson (Trigrams)
24 students given a consonant syllable and a three digit number ie. THX 512. They
were asked to recall the consonant syllable after a retention interval of 3, 6 , 9, 12 or
15 seconds. During this interval they had to count backwards from their three digit
number. Participants were 90% correct after 3 seconds, 20% correct after 9 and only
2% correct after 18 seconds. Suggesting it is less than 18 seconds. Study of duration
of LTM - answer✔✔Bahrick (Free recall, photo recognition and name recognition
tests) 400 people of various ages were tested on their memory of high school
, classmates. They were given a free recall to recall as many class mates as they could.
Then they were given 50 photos, some with people from their school year book.
Bahrick found that recall after 15 years of graduation was 90% accurate from photos,
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and after 48 years was 70%. With free recall it was about 60% accurate and 30%.
Showing that it is possibly an unlimited duration for LTM. Study of encoding -
answer✔✔Baddeley (Semantically and Acoustically Similar/Dissimilar words)
Baddeley had lists of acoustically similar words such as: Cat, cab, can, map, mat, max
etc. And also semantically similar words: Huge, big, large, titanic, massive etc. He
found that participants had difficulty remembering acoustically similar words in the
STM and in the LTM struggled with semantically similar words. He concluded that
STM is largely encoded acoustically whereas LTM is encoded semantically. Capacity
of STM - answer✔✔7+_ 2 units Capacity of LTM - answer✔✔Potentially
unlimited Duration of STM - answer✔✔30 seconds Duration of LTM -
answer✔✔potentially unlimited Encoding in STM - answer✔✔Mainly
acoustically Encoding in LTM - answer✔✔Mainly semantically MSM of memory -
answer✔✔Sensory Memory-> Attention->STM->(Maintenance rehearsal or)
elaborative rehearsal->LTM->(Retrieval, Interference, Decay Retrieval failure,
displacement for STM) What does the MSM model suggest - answer✔✔It
attempts to explain how memory works Memory Consists of multiple stores There is
a sequence between these stores Evidence to support the MSM -
answer✔✔Glanzer and Cunnitz (primacy and recency effect) HM (LTM gone)
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Forgetting (Exam Questions with Correct Answers)
Description:
This document provides exam-style questions and verified answers on memory
within AQA A Level Psychology. It covers studies on STM and LTM, including
encoding, capacity, and duration. Models such as the Multi-Store Model and
Working Memory Model are explained alongside research evidence. The resource
also includes evaluation points on interference, retrieval failure, and practical
applications of memory research.
Study of capacity of STM - answer✔✔Miller (Immediate Digit Span Test) Jacobs
Support Study of duration of STM - answer✔✔Peterson and Peterson (Trigrams)
24 students given a consonant syllable and a three digit number ie. THX 512. They
were asked to recall the consonant syllable after a retention interval of 3, 6 , 9, 12 or
15 seconds. During this interval they had to count backwards from their three digit
number. Participants were 90% correct after 3 seconds, 20% correct after 9 and only
2% correct after 18 seconds. Suggesting it is less than 18 seconds. Study of duration
of LTM - answer✔✔Bahrick (Free recall, photo recognition and name recognition
tests) 400 people of various ages were tested on their memory of high school
, classmates. They were given a free recall to recall as many class mates as they could.
Then they were given 50 photos, some with people from their school year book.
Bahrick found that recall after 15 years of graduation was 90% accurate from photos,
Page | 2
and after 48 years was 70%. With free recall it was about 60% accurate and 30%.
Showing that it is possibly an unlimited duration for LTM. Study of encoding -
answer✔✔Baddeley (Semantically and Acoustically Similar/Dissimilar words)
Baddeley had lists of acoustically similar words such as: Cat, cab, can, map, mat, max
etc. And also semantically similar words: Huge, big, large, titanic, massive etc. He
found that participants had difficulty remembering acoustically similar words in the
STM and in the LTM struggled with semantically similar words. He concluded that
STM is largely encoded acoustically whereas LTM is encoded semantically. Capacity
of STM - answer✔✔7+_ 2 units Capacity of LTM - answer✔✔Potentially
unlimited Duration of STM - answer✔✔30 seconds Duration of LTM -
answer✔✔potentially unlimited Encoding in STM - answer✔✔Mainly
acoustically Encoding in LTM - answer✔✔Mainly semantically MSM of memory -
answer✔✔Sensory Memory-> Attention->STM->(Maintenance rehearsal or)
elaborative rehearsal->LTM->(Retrieval, Interference, Decay Retrieval failure,
displacement for STM) What does the MSM model suggest - answer✔✔It
attempts to explain how memory works Memory Consists of multiple stores There is
a sequence between these stores Evidence to support the MSM -
answer✔✔Glanzer and Cunnitz (primacy and recency effect) HM (LTM gone)
