SAQ- cognitive

SAQ/ERQ-

Evaluate one model of memory with reference to one study. 

what is memory?

the mental process of encoding, storing and retrieving information. 

who made the MSM?

Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)

what are the three memory stores?

• Sensory memory (SM) 

• Short-term memory (STM) 

• Long term memory (LTM) 

what is short term memory?

• A limited-capacity memory system for storing information for brief periods of time like 15-30 seconds.

what is sensory memory?

the brief, initial storage of sensory information like sight, sound and smells.

what is long term memory?

• Holds alot of information which can be stored for long periods of time. 

what is the first model of memory?

multi store model

what was the case study for the multi store model?

KF who suffered brain damage after a motorcycle accident which made his memory selectively impaired.

how was KF’s STM tested?

he had to do digit span tasks

what were the findings of the KF’s STM?

he could only remember 1-2 digits when spoken aloud but had better recall for visual tasks and visual information.

his digit span was impaired alot.

what is the conclusion of the MSM?

STM is not just one system

STM & LTM are separate and STM is not required for Long term.

what are the strengths of this study?

Supports the Working Memory Model (WMM)

Challenges the Multi-Store Model (MSM)

ecological validity.

what are the limitations of this study?

• Cannot be generalised to the whole population

no informed consent because he has brain damage

why was the working memory model proposed?

To challenge the multi-store model and the idea of a single short-term memory store.

what is the working memory model?

A model of STM that sees it as an active system with multiple components

what are main 4 components of WMM and what do they do?

Central Executive – controls attention and coordinates other components.

Phonological Loop – deals with the inner voice.

Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad – deals with visual and spatial info.

Episodic Buffer - a temporary storage system that collects information from different sources.

what is the evidence supporting WMM?

dual-task studies show people can do a visual and verbal tasks at the same time.

Brain imaging shows different areas activate for different components.

what are weaknesses in the WMM?

Central Executive is poorly defined

Doesn’t explain individual differences clearly

Lack of clarity on the episodic buffer

what are strengths in the WMM?

Clinical case study support

Helpful in understanding c learning difficulties like dyslexia.

ERQ

Evaluate one or more studies of the role of emotion on one cognitive process.

define emotion.

experiences involving feelings and physiological responses which are triggered by significant events.

what is an example of a cognitive process?

flashbulb memory.

what is flashbulb memory?

vivid and detailed memories of highly emotional events that appear to be recorded in the brain.

what is the sudy?

Brow and Kulik 1997

what was the aim of Brown and Kulik?

To investigate Flashbulb memory and how it works

what is the design?

interview

what was the sample?

• Interviewed 80 Americans 

  • 40 African Americans 

    • 40 Caucasian Americans 

what was the method?

• they had to answer questions about 10 events 

• 9 of these events were on assassinations of well-known American personalities like jfk,mlk

• they were asked to recall where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt when they heard the news.

• The last question was they had to describe an event of shock like a death of a friend/family.

what were the results?

• 90% of participants recalled the JFK assassination with context and with vivid detail.

• African Americans recalled more FBM's of civil right leaders like Martin Luther King more than the Caucasians.

  • For the tenth question most participants recalled shocking events like the death of a parent.

what was the conclusion?

Emotional arousal and personal relevance make memories more vivid so flashbulb memories are formed by a special mechanism.

what were the strengths of the study?

-large sample,

-first study to support flash bulb memory

what were the limitations of the study?

participants were only american so it cant be generalized to other countries.

people talking about this flash bulb memory could have strengthened their memory.

what is the second study?

conway et al 1994

what is the aim of conway?

to test the theory of Flashbulb Memory

what was the design?

Longitudinal study using self-report questionnaires

what was the sample?

75 people who were divided into british and non british groups.

what was the method?

• Participants were asked to recall details of the resignation of UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

• They completed a questionnaire shortly after and then again 11 months later.

• The questionnaire included questions about where they were, what they were doing, who told them, and their emotional response.

what were the results?

• They found that 86% of UK participants still had FBM of the resignation of Margaret Thatcher 

  • While there were fewer non-UK participants (29%) had flashbulb memories of the event 

what was the conclusion?

flashbulb memories are more likely to form when an event is personally culturally relevant.

what was the strengths of the study?

• Ecologically Valid: real event 

  • Interview: in depth qualitative data

what were the limitations of the study?

• Distress in having to remember a tragic event 

• Some methodology was not controlled

ERQ-

Evaluate schema theory with reference to research studies.

what is a schema?

cognitive structures that organise knowledge stored in our memory.

what is the first type of schema?

Scripts which give information about the order of events that occur in particular contexts like attending class then going to lunch break.

what is the second type of schema?

Self-schemas which organise information we have about ourselves.

what is the third type of schema?

Social schemas which is our stereotypes of certain groups of people.

what is the definition of schema theory?

“as active processors of information, humans integrate new information with existing, stored information.” 

what study can u use?

bartlett 1932

what is the aim of bartlett?

to determine how social and cultural factors influence schemas and lead to memory distortion.

what is the design of bartlett?

experimental/repeated measures design.

what was the method?

• the participants were of an English background. 

• they were asked to read “The War of the Ghosts” which is a Native American folk tale. 

• they tested their memory of the story using serial reproduction and repeated reproduction, where they were asked to recall it six or seven times over various retention intervals. 

what was the results of the study?

• As the number of reproductions increased, the story became shorter and there were more changes to the story like canoes’ became ‘boats’. 

  • These changes show that the english participants changed things they were unfamiliar to, to better fit with things they were familiar with to fit teir schemas.

what was the conclusion of the study?

• Memory is very inaccurate 
  

  • It is always subject to reconstruction based on pre-existing schemas 

ERQ-

Discuss (or Evaluate) one model of thinking and decision-making essay

what is thinking and decision making?

a central cognitive process that influences how people interpret information and solve problems

what model is used for thinking and decision making?

dual process model

what is the dual process model?

the model that says there is two distinct systems of thinking: System 1 (intuitive) and System 2 (rational).

what is system 1 thinking?

it is automatic and fast thinking that makes quick judgements based on heuristics which are mental shortcuts.

what are 2 strengths of system 1 thinking?

• Useful in daily situations where speed is more important than accuracy.

• Helps in danger or emergency

what is 1 limitation of system 1 thinking?

it is prone to cognitive biases

what is system 2 thinking?

it is deliberate slow thinking that is used when making rational decisions, or when System 1 doesn’t produce a clear answer.

what are 2 strengths of system 2 thinking?

• More accurate because it involves reasoning and evaluation.

  • Helps override System 1 when necessary.

what is 1 limitation of system 2 thinking?

it is slower and mentally demanding

what study supports the dual process model?

kahnmen 2011

what is the aim of kahnmen?

To investigate whether people rely on system 1 thinking even when it leads to the wrong answers.

what is the design?

independent measures design

what was the sample?

3,000 university students

what was the method?

• the participants were asked the question - A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” in order to give an intuitive but incorrect response.

• Participants were asked to answer this individually without calculators.

what was the results?

• Over 50% of students at top universities gave the intuitive but wrong answer: 10 cents.

• Only some participants used system 2 thinking to get the right answer.

what was the conclusion?

the majority of participants relied on System 1 thinking, which is fast and intuitive but led to a wrong answer, which supports the Dual Process Model by showing that people often use intuitive judgments even in logical tasks