Database results:
examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Review and Practice - Memory Processes
Memory is how we store and recall information. Without it, we couldn't learn new skills, remember our friends' names, or even find our way home! Let's review the key processes that make memory work.
Key Definitions:
Developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), this model describes memory as having three separate stores:
Information flows from sensory memory to STM through attention and from STM to LTM through rehearsal.
Encoding: Information can be encoded in different ways:
STM mainly uses acoustic encoding, while LTM primarily uses semantic encoding.
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) proposed the working memory model as an alternative to the simple short-term memory concept in the multi-store model. It suggests that working memory is active and consists of multiple components working together.
The "boss" of working memory that controls attention and coordinates the other components. It has limited capacity and decides which information to focus on.
Stores and processes speech-based information. It has two parts: the phonological store (inner ear) that holds speech sounds for 1-2 seconds and the articulatory process (inner voice) that rehearses and refreshes this information.
Stores and processes visual and spatial information. It's like an inner eye that helps you remember what things look like and where they are located.
Later, Baddeley added the episodic buffer to the model, which acts as a temporary storage system that integrates information from the other components and links to long-term memory.
Patient KF suffered brain damage that impaired his short-term memory for verbal information but left his visual short-term memory intact. This supports the working memory model's idea that different types of information are processed by separate components. If STM was a single store as suggested by the multi-store model, all types of information would have been equally affected.
When asked to recall a list of items, people typically remember the first few items (primacy effect) and the last few items (recency effect) better than those in the middle.
We remember items from the beginning of a list better because:
We remember items from the end of a list better because:
The recency effect disappears if there's a delay before recall, supporting the multi-store model's distinction between STM and LTM.
Several factors can influence how well we encode, store and retrieve information:
Information in STM lasts about 18-30 seconds without rehearsal. LTM can last a lifetime, but memories can fade or become distorted over time.
STM can hold about 7±2 items (Miller's magic number). LTM has potentially unlimited capacity, though retrieval may become more difficult.
Information encoded semantically (by meaning) is generally remembered better than information encoded acoustically (by sound) or visually.
Understanding memory processes can help us develop effective strategies for remembering information:
Craik and Lockhart (1972) proposed that the deeper we process information, the better we remember it. In their experiment, participants who processed words based on their meaning (deep processing) recalled more words than those who processed words based on their appearance or sound (shallow processing). This suggests that how we encode information significantly impacts our ability to retrieve it later.
Understanding memory processes can help you study more effectively for your Psychology GCSE:
Remember that understanding the underlying processes is more valuable than simply memorising facts. When you understand how memory works, you can apply this knowledge to improve your own learning and explain real-world phenomena.
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