lab 4 short term memory

atkinson-shiffrin model (Modal model) Stages? Stores? Processes?

-Sequential stages

-3 main stores: sensory, short term, long term memory

-control processes: attention, encoding, rehearsal, retrieval

control processes?

attention, encoding, rehearsal, retrieval

Short Term Memory Characteristics

• info immediately present

  • held in consciousness (attention/awareness)

  • rehearsal required to maintain

  • capacity = 7± 2

  • Duration: Decay Theory or Interference theory

    • holds small amount of info for a small amt of time

issues with the Modal Model

• capacity and duration = too narrow to explain differential effects

• STM is dynamic process, not passive exchange of info

• led to working memory concept!

which type of stimuli was memory span the longest for?

(longest) digits → letters→ words (shortest)

Three mistakes you could make recalling stimulus sequence?

• recalling too many items

• recalling too few

• recalling in wrong order

Why is memory span shorter with words than with letters?

• we rehearse letters more often than whole words

• there is more cognitive load involved with words as opposed to letters

Why do we remember dissimilar strings of letters better than strings of similar sounding letters?

The phonological similarity effect

The phonological similarity effect?

• the phonological loop relies on coding the item (with a sound) to remember it, so similar sounding letters are harder to remember due to the coding overlapping with similar sounds.

Brown peterson task: Which duration was performance best? Worst?

best: 3 seconds

worst: 15 seconds

Function of the distractor task in the Brown-Peterson trials?

to prevent participants from rehearsing the initial three letter combo