Memory: Information-Processing Model and Working Memory

Flashcards covering the main concepts from the lecture notes on information-processing models of memory, sensory memory, short-term memory, chunking and interference, and the working memory model (Baddeley & Hitch) plus long-term memory.

What are the two main memory stores proposed in the original information-processing model (before adding the sensory register)?

Short-term memory and long-term memory.

What additional store did Atkinson and Shiffrin add to form the multi-store model?

The sensory register (sensory memory).

Name the three main components of the classic multi-store model.

Sensory memory/register, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

What is sensory memory and how long do iconic and echoic traces last?

A brief storage of sensory information; iconic memory lasts about 0.5 seconds and echoic memory about 2 seconds.

What did Sperling’s 1960 study demonstrate about sensory memory?

That sensory memory can hold a large amount of information for a very brief period, as shown by the partial-report technique and iconic memory.

What is the typical duration of short-term memory without rehearsal?

About 12–18 seconds.

What is Miller’s magic number for STM capacity?

7 ± 2 items.

What must happen for information to enter and stay in short-term memory?

It must be attended to.

What are the common causes of forgetting in short-term memory?

Decay, interference, and displacement.

What did Peterson & Peterson (1959) find about STM duration with counting tasks?

After 3 seconds, about 80% recall; after 18 seconds, about 10% recall.

What is chunking and why is it important for STM?

Grouping items into larger units (chunks) to increase effective STM capacity.

What did Ericsson et al. (1989) demonstrate with SF regarding digit span and training?

With extensive practice (320 one-hour sessions), SF could recall 79 digits; chunking and training expanded digit span.

What did Baddeley propose about STM capacity and dual-task performance?

STM has limited storage, but people can hold a short string of numbers while performing another task, indicating dual-task processing.

Name the core components of Baddeley and Hitch’s Working Memory Model.

Central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad; later, the episodic buffer was added.

What is the role of the central executive in working memory?

It is the control system where manipulations and coordination of information occur.

What is the phonological loop?

A WM component that stores and rehearses verbal information (digits, words).

What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

A WM component for temporary storage and manipulation of visual and spatial information.

What is the episodic buffer and what does it do?

A backup store that communicates with long-term memory and the other working memory components.

What is the purpose of the multi-component working memory model?

To provide a detailed account of how information is temporarily stored, processed, and manipulated across multiple interacting components.

What is the final storage system for memory in the information-processing view?

Long-term memory, which is an unlimited capacity store for facts, events, procedures, and meaning.

What types of information are stored in long-term memory?

Facts, events, procedures, and meanings (and more).

Can memories in long-term memory stay forever, according to the notes?

Memories may fade or be hard to retrieve; storage and retrieval in LTM are complex.

What senses are associated with sensory memory, and how long do they last?

Iconic (visual, ~0.5 s), echoic (auditory, ~2 s), plus kinaesthetic (touch), olfactory, and gustatory memories lasting only briefly.

What role does rehearsal play in memory models?

Rehearsal helps keep information in short-term memory and facilitates transfer to long-term memory.

Where does retrieval occur in memory models?

Retrieval is the process of accessing information from long-term memory (and bringing it into short-term/working memory for use).