Psychology AS: Memory

• first attempt to develop a general model of memory
• explains how information flows from one storage system to another
• three permanent structures- sensory memory, short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM)
• all differ depending on capacity (how much can be stored), duration (how long for) and encoding (in which form it is stored)

• retains impressions of the information received through the senses
• most information is immediately forgotten unless paid close attention to

• active memory system
• contains all information you're currently reflecting on
• temporary storage for information received from sensory memory

Encoding

• tends to be encoded on an acoustic basis (Baddeley's immediate recall 'Cat/Mat' Study)

Capacity

• limited capacity (Jacob's 'Serial Digit Span' Studies) -> Miller's Magic Number seven plus/minus two (7 +/- 2)

Duration

• very short, less than 30 seconds (Peterson and Peterson's 'Trigam Retention' Experiment (rapid decay/loss without rehearsal)

• the storage of information over long periods of time
• anything more than 30 seconds is LTM

Encoding

• tends to be encoded on a semantic basis (Baddeley's delayed recall 'Cat/Mat' Study)

Capacity

• potential capacity is unlimited

Duration

• a memory can last a lifetime -> LTM dependent on how long you live

Strengths

• influential -> still in use today
• evidence for different types of stores with different capacity, duration and encoding
• case study K.F. brain damage -> STM difficult, types of LTM fine 

Limitations

• case study K.F. -> STM more complicated than suggested, because VISUAL STM was unaffected and VERBAL STM was affected
• rehearsal is not always sufficient, but sometimes one time is enough
• uni-directional, yet sometimes we need to use LTM to retrieve

• only deals with short term memory (STM)
• argues it is far more complex than MSM suggests
• active store
• multi-component working memory

Central Executive

• involved in higher mental proceses (e.g. decision making)
• allocates recources to slave systems -> delegates
• limited capacity, but very flexible and can process information from any of the senses

Articulatory Control System

• 'inner voice'
• part of phonological loop
• holds the words we're preparing to speak
• capacity- 2 seconds

Phonological Store

• 'inner ear'
• also part of phonological loop
• stores auditory information in an acoustic code

Visuo-spatial Scratchpad

• 'inner eye'
• processes movement and actions

Strengths

• reserach supports dual tasks
• importance of rehearsal more realistic, not overstated like in MSM
• PET scan -> brain evidence

Limitations

• only focused on STM, does not cover interaction with LTM
• central executive not well described, little evidence
• doesn't explain the process of learning

• schemas (ready-made expectations), witness factors (age, gender, race, individual response to stress) and event factors (duration, level of violence) may affect EWT accuracy  

• Deffenbacher's 'inverted U' theory

• Peters: nurse/researcher -> identification of researcher easier
• Yuille and Cutshall:  (real life) shooting, one person killed and another wounded -> still very good recall, may have been due to being closer to the event

• over-simplistic explanation

Children

• Dent: children usually provide fewer details than adults without being prompted, perform significantly worse with specific questions
• child can match adult level accuracy with particular interest
• Roberts and Lamb: 'in private' vs. 'in the private'
• when context is reinstated recall is as good as adult recall

Adults

• older people perform worse on EWT studies than young or middle aged adults

Elderly people

• more likely to make false accusations, worse at recalling specific details
• especially elderly men let misleading, post-event information mislead them

Two types of misleading questions:

• leading questions
• 'after-the-fact information' questions

• Loftus and Palmer: smashed, collided, bumped, hit, collided
• "Was there glass?" a week later

-> demand characteristics may explain findings

• attempt to minimise the inaccuracy and distortion of EWT

1. Change of Narrative Order

2. Change of Perspective

3. Mental Reinstatement of Context

4. Report EVERYTHING

Strengths

• a lot of (50) reserach supports its effectiveness
• has been enhanced: build greater rapport
• validity: compares well against to standard interview and hypnosis interview

Limitations

• practical problems such as training issues and unwillingness to apply 
• limited use by police due to fear of accidentally asking the witness to speculate

• the more information is organised, the easier it is to recall

• Organisation of Material into Categories
• Chunking (Miller's Magic Number support)
• Imagery
• Revision