Models of Memory Cognitive Psychology

Memory

Cognitive process where information flows from different stores that encodes, stores and retrieves information.

Basic Store (division) of memory

• Short-term memory

• Long-term momery

Multiple types of memory

1. Semantic memory

2. Episodic memory

3. Procedural memory

4. Facial recognition

Other divisions of LTM

1. Conscious/Explicit memory

2. Unconscious/Implicit memory

Conscious/Explicit/Declarative memory

• Facts and figures

• Recalled with conscious effort

Conscious/Explicit/Declarative memory is divided to two

Type

Timeframe

Type is divided to two

Semantic Memory Memory for facts

Episodic Memory Personal experiences

Timeframe is divided to two

Retrospective Past experiences

Prospective Future actions

Semantic Memory

Memory for facts

Episodic Memory

Personal experiences

Retrospective

Past experiences

Prospective

Future actions

Models of memory

1. Multi-store memory model

2. Levels of processing memory model

3. Working memory model

Multi-store memory model

Theorized by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

compose of 3 separate components: 

1. Sensory memory

2. Short-term memory

3. Long-term memory

Sensory memory

• Detect information and hold it until it is transferred to STM store or be lost. 

• Does not process information

Capacity of Sensory Memory

The capacity is limited by perception

Duration

Short 

Iconic/Visual  memory– 1 second

Echoic memory – 2-5 seconds

Short-term memory

• “Working Memory”

• Relies on both visual and auditory  

• Information undergo primitive transformation

Capacity of Short-term memory

- Capacity: 7±2 chunks of info

(GA Miller’s article : “The Magical Number Seven” 1956)

Magic 7: 

1. Seven Wonders of the World

2. Seven Deadly Sins

3. Telephone no.*

Duration of Short-term memory

Duration: not longer than 30 seconds

(acoustic info is longer)

Rehearsal

A cognitive process of repeating the short-term memory to become a lont-term memory

Long-term memory

A place for storing large amounts of information for indefinite periods of time.

Capacity of Long-term memory

The capacity is unlimited

Duration of Long-term memory

The duration is unlimited

Contextual cues

trigger memories from the past/distant memories

Components of the multi-store memory model that requires testing:

1.  Are the memory stores distinct and separate?

2.  Are there really three memory stores? Not more? Not less?

3.  Are the sensory modalities within sensory memory just modalities? Not separate store?

4. Is there a physiological basis for the memory stores or are they just constructs?

5. Is rehearsal necessary for information to transfer from STM to LTM?

6. Does information really flow in one direction?

   
   

   
   

Serial position effect

• Coined by Hermann Ebbinghaus

• Tendency to recall the first and last items on a list better than items in the middle

Studies supporting the multi-store memory model

• Glanzer and Cunitz 1966

• Sperling 1960

Strengths of Multi-Store Model

Parsimonious

Influential

Highly heuristic

Criticism for the Multi-Store Model

• Focuses on the structure and not the process.

• Rehearsal may not be the only way for information to transfer from STM to LTM

Founder of Levels of Processing Model of Memory

by: Craik and Lockhart (1975)

Definition of Levels of Processing Model of Memory

Recall is a function of depth of processing.

• shallow processing

• deep processing

“the deeper the processing, the stronger the trace at LTM”

Shallow Processing

Only takes into account superficial features of the stimulus.

Example: 

1. Physical properties

2. Acoustic properties
   

- Repeat it: pronounce

Deep Processing

• Semantic processing

• Building the stimulus into the structure of meaningful connections and associations

• “mental image”

Criticisms for Multi-Store Memory Model

C R A I K & L O C K H A R T 1 9 7 5

Results of Craik and Tulving 1975

Both recall and recognition memory performance was significantly better for those words that were preceded by a semantic question.

Conclusion of Craik and Tulving 1975

Conclusion: 

• LTM is not only due to rehearsal

• LTM is  a function of how the information was processed at the stage of encoding

• Multi-store memory model: information flows in one direction.

• LTM memory is not a unitary store.

Working Memory model

Focuses on the structure of the STM.

Founder of Working Memory Model

by: Baddeley and Hitch (1974)

Central Executive

• A system that decides which information is attended to by which parts of the memory to send that information to be dealt with.

• Give priority to particular activities.

Central Executive is divided to 3

phonological loop

episodic buffer

visuospatial sketchpad

Phonological Loop

Deals with spoken and written material.

The store of the phonological loop

Inner ear

• Holds information in a speech-based form 1-2 seconds

• Spoken words enter the store directly. 

• Written words are converted first

Articulatory control process of the phonological loop

inner voice

• Rehearsing information from the phonological store

• Phonological/verbal recoding

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Episodic Buffer

Integrates information from the visuospatial sketchpad and the phonological loop and links it to LTM.