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Memory Experiments STM

Memory involves encoding, storing, and retrieving information across three types: sensory memory (visual, auditory, tactile), short-term memory (holds 5-9 items for seconds), and long-term memory (potentially unlimited capacity stored for minutes to years). Information is encoded according to its meaning in long-term memory and sound in short-term memory. Chunking and rehearsal can extend what is retained in short-term memory.

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55 views33 pages

Memory Experiments STM

Memory involves encoding, storing, and retrieving information across three types: sensory memory (visual, auditory, tactile), short-term memory (holds 5-9 items for seconds), and long-term memory (potentially unlimited capacity stored for minutes to years). Information is encoded according to its meaning in long-term memory and sound in short-term memory. Chunking and rehearsal can extend what is retained in short-term memory.

Uploaded by

Paul
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Memory

Memory is the process in which


information is encoded, stored, and
retrieved
Sensory Memory

Encoding
● The SM takes info from one of the
sense organs and holds it in that same
form “ECHOIC
MEMORY”:
auditory input
“ICONIC from the ears –
MEMORY”: things you
visual info from the HEAR. Stored
eyes –things you as sounds.
SEE. Stored as
images.

“HAPTIC
MEMORY”:
tactile input from
the body – things
you’ve
TOUCHED.
Stored as feelings.
Sensory Memory

Capacity & Duration


Testing Iconic SM

● The next slide demonstrates your iconic


sensory memory at work!

● Keep your eyes fixed on the slide and


concentrate!!
7 1 V F

X L 5 3

B 4 W 7
How many letters can you recall?
● This was based on an experiment by Sperling
(1960):
– Presented a grid of letters for less than a second
– People recalled on average 4 letters
– Although, when Sperling used “partial report”
technique…
– …showed that iconic memory held up to 10
items!
– But decays before we can report them all ☹
● Duration:
– Info decays within about 1 secs (or less)
Sensory memory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju-
4GNsfWQM
Short Term Memory

Encoding & Capacity

Click Here to Continue


Activity 1 - Encoding in STM

▪ You will need a pen/pencil and paper.


▪ When you go to the next page, you will be
presented with a sequence of letters, which
will appear in the centre of the screen one
after another.
▪ Try to memorise the letters in sequence as
they are presented.
▪ ONLY when you see the word NOW appear,
write the letters down in the same order as
they were presented.
G
D
C
B
V
E
P
T
NOW
How many did you get? - answers below.

▪ BDTGCPEV

▪ Remember, to count as correct, the letters must be in


the correct sequence.

▪ Now try it again!!


W
M
Q
R
A
F
Z
L
NOW
How did you do this time? - answers below

▪ WLFZMQRA

▪ If you did better, this fits in with previous findings…


▪ Conrad (1964) first did this experiment
▪ Visually presented students with letters one at a time
▪ Found that: letters which are acoustically similar
(rhyming) are harder to recall from STM than those
which are acoustically dissimilar (non-rhyming)
▪ This suggests that STM mainly encodes things
acoustically (as sounds), even though the items
were presented visually.
Activity 2: Capacity of STM
▪ As before, you will need a pen/pencil and a piece of
scrap paper.
▪ When you go to the next page, you will be presented
with a sequence of numbers, which will appear in the
centre of the screen at one second intervals.
▪ Try to memorise the numbers in sequence as they
are presented, but DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING
DOWN.
▪ When you see the word “NOW” appear, write the
numbers down in the same order as they were
presented (serial recall)
4
7
9
1
3
6
8
2
5
NOW
How did you do? - see below

▪ 574831962

▪ Miller (1956): the STM can hold ‘the


magic number seven, plus or minus
two’
▪ On average, the capacity of STM is
between 5 and 9 items of information.
Activity 3: Extending STM
Capacity
▪ When you go to the next page, you will be presented
with a line of letters across the screen.
▪ Memorise as many of the letters as you can but do
not write anything until the word NOW appears.
▪ When you see the word NOW appear on the screen,
write down on your paper as many of the letters as
you can remember, in the same order as they were
presented.
GCEBTECGCSEGNVQAS
NOW
How did you do?

▪ GCEBTECGCSEGNVQAS
▪ Now try it again!!
GCE BTEC GCSE GNVQ AS
NOW
You probably did better this time - Answers below.
GCE BTEC GCSE GNVQ AS
Why might this be? – (apart from having seen the stimulus
material twice, an example of the practice effect).

▪ Miller (56) found that the capacity of STM could be


considerably increased by combining/organising
separate ‘bits’ of information, e.g. letters or digits, into
larger chunks.
▪ Chunking involves making the info more meaningful,
through organising it in line with existing knowledge
from your LTM - in this case, of abbreviations for
qualifications.
Short Term Memory

Duration
How long can you retain a new phone number before
you have to write it down?
…if you didn’t rehearse it?

● The duration for which STM can retain info is


temporary – a very short time

● Not much research interest of this aspect, but…

● …some findings suggest only a few seconds before


it fades/decays (unless we rehearse it)
Activity: duration of STM
● This next experiment was first carried
out by married couple Peterson &
Peterson (1959)
● Got students to recall combinations of 3
letters (trigrams), after longer and
longer intervals.
● During the intervals, students were
prevented from rehearsing by a
counting task!
● Their findings suggest that our STM fades in
under a half a minute if we are not rehearsing it:

After 18secs,
fewer than 10%
recalled
correctly.
After only
3secs, 80%
recalled
correctly.

Recall got progressively


worse as the delay
grew longer!
The Long Term Memory

Encoding
Activity: encoding in LTM

● Try to memorise them in order, and wait


for the word “NOW!” before you write…
NOW!
SLUMBER
SNOOZE
DREAM
SNORE
SLEEP
YAWN
DOZE
REST
NAP
KIP
Now write down as many as you
can remember.
You should have done ok, as you were using your STM
● Based on Baddeley (1966)
● Presented lists of 10 short words one at a time
● Some lists were semantically similar, others not

● Tested immediately & then after 20 min delay


● Found that after 20 mins, they did poorly on the
semantically similar words
● This suggests that we encode LTMs according to
what they mean – so we get similar-meaning things
confused!
● Encoding in LTM is “semantic” – meaning-based
The Long Term Memory

Capacity & Duration


Easy!

● Capacity = potentially unlimited.


● Duration = anything up to a lifetime. (minutes
to years)

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