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Psychology Coding, Capacity and Duration of Memory

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Psychology Coding, Capacity and Duration of Memory

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neve.g.fisher
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Coding, Capacity and Duration of

Memory
Tuesday 7 January 2025 12:26 PM

1. Understand the explanations of memory: the multi-store model and working memory model

2. Learn about the different types of long-term memory: semantic, episodic and procedural

3. Know the explanations for forgetting: interference and retrieval-cue failure

4. Distinguish factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony

5. Learn strategies to improve memory recall.

Memory - mental processes involved in registering, storing and retrieving info

Short term memory STM - memory store tha can onl hold limited amount of info for short
periods
Long term memory LTM - memory store that can hold unlimited amount of info for long
periods/ permanently

Capacity - amount/ quantity of info stored

Duration- time and length of time info is held for

Coding - format and the type of info being stored

Coding
1. Visual coding

2. Acoustic coding

3. Semantic coding

Research on coding - Baddeley et al

Researched how different info was coded by different memory stores

Had list of works to four groups

1. Acoustically similar (cab, cat, can)


2. Acoustically dissimilar (pit, few, cow)
3. Semantically similar (great, large, big)
4. Semantically dissimilar (good, huge, hot)

- Ppts heard these words and were told to recall after hearing them (Short Term
Memory recall) with the acoustically similar words and did worse with AS words
- Then told to recall 20 mins later (Long Term Memory recall) with semantically similar
words and did worse with SS words

Evaluation of Bs Study
Artificial Stimuli - used rather than meaningful material
- Words had no personal meaning to ppts, therefore should be cautious abt generalising
findings to different kinds of memory task
- E.g. when processing more meaningful, ppl use semantic even for STM tasks
- Suggests findings have limited application

Capacity
Capacity of STM - Miller 1996
- Says most adults store 5-9 items in STM bc only has certain number of slots
- Called “magic number 7”
- 7+-2

Research on Capacity
Digit Span - Jacobs
- Developed way of measuring digit span
- Ve 4 digits to ppts to recall and in order and adding a digit each time
- Determines individuals digit span and most ppts had the span of 7+-2

Chunking - Miller
- Made observations daily and noticed ppl remember 5 words just as well as remembering
5 letters
- Chunking - grouping individuals letters/ numbers into chunks

Primary Recency Effect - When have a long list of info - remember primary and the end/
recency

Evaluation for capacity


Limitation
Limited validity
- Research conducted long term ago so lacks validity and adequate control
- E.g. some ppts distracted when being tested so didn’t perform as well as could’ve
- Meaning results not valid bc there was confounding variables that weren’t controlled

Counterpoint
- Results of study have been confirmed in other research, supporting its validity

Limitation
Not so many chunks
- Millers research may have overestimated capacity of STM
- Cowan 2001 - reviewed other research and concluded that the capacity of STM was 4
chunks
- Suggests lower end of millers estimate is more appropriate than 7

Duration
Peterson and Peterson 1959
- Investigated duration of STM through lab expt
- Sample = 24 psych students
Procedure
- Recall meaningless 3 letter trigrams at different intervals
- Prevent rehearsal —> had to count down in 3/4s from a number until told to recall
Findings
- Longer interval = less accurate recall
- 3 secs = 80% correct answers
- 18 secs = 10% correct answers
Conclusion
- STM has limited duration of 18secs
- Shows if unable to rehearse info, it wont be passed to LTM further supporting idea of
discrete memory stores

Research on Duration - Bahrick


- Studied LTM duration using high skl year books - uses photo recognition and free recall
- Had to recall names of class
- Within 15 yrs of graduation = 90% accurate
- After 48 yrs = 70% accurate
- 15 yrs = 60% accurate
- 48 yrs = 30% accurate

Evaluation of Bahricks Study


Strength Limitation
Higher external validity in yrbook study Counterpoint
- Meaningful mems used = higher - Confounding variables not controlled
recall rates compared to if - E.g. ppts may have looked at pics
meaningless pics used beforehand
Counterpoint Meaningless stimuli in STM study
- Do sometimes try to remember - Stimuli material artificial
meaningless things e..g phone - Trying to memorise syllables doesn’t
numbers reflect real life memory activities
- Lacks external validity

After only 3 secs 80% of trigrams were recalled correctly


Recall got progressively worse as the delay increased
After 18 secs fewer than 10% of the trigrams were recalled correctly

Plenary:
1. Explain what is meant by the term coding in relation to memory (2 marks)
Coding is a format or type of information being stored either as STM or LTM once it gets
into the memory system. There are three types of coding: visual, acoustic and semantic.
2. Explain wha is meant by the term capacity in relation to memory (2 marks)
Capacity is the amount of memory and information that can be stored. LTM has unlimited
capacity whereas STM holds a limited amount.
3. Explain what is meant by the term duration in relation to memory (2 marks)
Duration is the amount of time information and memory is held for. Information can remain
in the LTM for many years whereas STM is for shorter amounts of time.

Baddeley Miller P&P


Researched coding in STM Researched capacity in STM Researched
Found that words were coded Used the term the magic number 7 duration in STM
acoustically in STM to describe capacity Prevented
Used cat mat hat words Did research similar to Jacob’s rehearsal
Found info coded Investigated chunking 18 sec duration
systematically

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