Database results:
examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Coding in Memory Stores
Our memories don't work like video recordings that capture everything exactly as it happened. Instead, our brains change (or 'code') information into different formats to help us store and retrieve it. This process is called coding and it's a crucial part of how our memory systems work.
Key Definitions:
Coding is like translating information into a language that your brain can easily process. Different memory stores prefer different 'languages' or codes. Understanding these codes can help you improve your memory and revision techniques. For example, if you know that short-term memory prefers acoustic coding, you might read your notes aloud when revising!
According to Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), memory consists of three stores: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). Each store has a preferred way of coding information, which affects how we remember things.
There are three main types of coding that our brains use to process and store information:
Information coded by how it sounds. For example, remembering a phone number by saying it out loud repeatedly. This is the primary coding method in short-term memory.
Information coded as mental images or pictures. For example, visualising your bedroom to remember where you left your keys. This is common in sensory memory and long-term memory.
Information coded by its meaning. For example, remembering the gist of a story rather than the exact words. This is the main coding method in long-term memory.
Sensory memory holds information from our senses for a very brief period (less than a second for visual information, 2-4 seconds for auditory). It has a large capacity but information fades quickly unless we pay attention to it.
For example, when you look at a page in a textbook, your sensory memory briefly holds an image of the entire page, but this fades almost instantly unless you focus on specific parts.
Short-term memory holds information we're currently thinking about. It has a limited capacity and duration unless we actively maintain the information through rehearsal.
Conrad showed participants letters visually for a brief period, then asked them to recall them. When participants made errors, they typically confused letters that sounded similar (like B and P, or M and N) rather than letters that looked similar. This suggests that even when information is presented visually, we often convert it to an acoustic code in short-term memory.
Long-term memory is our permanent storage system with potentially unlimited capacity and duration. Information here is primarily coded semantically (by meaning).
Baddeley conducted experiments comparing how well people remembered lists of words that were:
In short-term memory tests, acoustic similarity caused more confusion. In long-term memory tests, semantic similarity caused more confusion. This supports the idea that STM primarily uses acoustic coding while LTM primarily uses semantic coding.
Understanding how memory coding works can help you improve your learning techniques:
In your GCSE Psychology exam, you might be asked to:
Remember to use specific terminology and refer to relevant studies like Conrad (1964) and Baddeley (1966).
Let's see how the different types of coding might work together when you're learning something new:
Imagine you're learning that "chien" means "dog" in French:
Different memory stores tend to use different types of coding:
Understanding how your memory codes information can help you develop better learning strategies and improve your memory performance. By using techniques that match the natural coding preferences of different memory stores, you can make your learning more efficient and effective.
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