This supports that the unconscious semantic processing of words on an unattended channel was intruding upon a task of naming ink colours. Introduction Theories suggest that attentional processes operate on an unconscious and automatic level. Schneider and Shiffrin (1977, as cited in Edgar, 2007) believed that some mental process cannot be consciously controlled and used the term automatic processes to describe this. They termed the mental process whereby we exert conscious control; controlled processes. [these require focused attention?]
Outline the multi-store model and working memory model The multi-store model of memory is when information appears in Sensory Memory if attention is given to this it transfers to Short Term Memory, if the information is then rehearsed; it appears in the Long Term Memory. If at any time attention or rehearsal is not given to the information the trace decays and so because of this, we forget, however this need for rehearsal for transference into the Long Term Memory has been criticised as some information can be retained without any form of rehearsal. Within the multi-store model of memory, both Long Term Memory and Short Term Memory differ from each other in various ways; the duration of short term memory is 18 seconds, where as the duration of long term memory is a lifetime. The capacity of short term memory is found to be 7 + OR – 2, compared to long term memory’s unlimited capacity. As far as coding is concerned, there are also differences between short term and long term memory; short term is acoustic and long term is semantic.
In addition information in the short term memory store is encoded acoustically; this theory is supported by Conrad’s 1964 case study where an experiment was conducted that confirmed Atkinson and Shiffrin’s theory that the STM encodes information acoustically. Their findings showed after rehearsal the info is transferred from the STM to Long term memory store if not rehearsed information is lost through decay. When in the LTM, the material can last for up to a lifetime when rehearsed or is of semantic value. LTM encodes information that is semantic. There are many strong points to consider in terms of the multi store model of memory.
Kahneman (as cited in Edgar, 2007) explains it in the limited capacity theory of attention. According to it, “the brain contains limited-capacity central processor responsible for analyzing incoming information and integrating it to information already held in memory” (Edgar, 2007, pp.11). Thus, when a person tries to do many things at once interference can occur if those things compete for the same pool of resources. However, Macleod (as cited in Edgar, 2007) showed that it is possible to do two things at once without interference. In his study, participants had to carry out a visual and an auditory task and respond to them by saying ‘bip’.
With reference to relevant research discuss the extent to which models of memory and theories of forgetting explain human memory. This essay will analyse the effectiveness of the multi-store model of memory and the working memory model together with examination of Trace Decay and Displacement theories of forgetting, as effective methods for explaining human memory. Memory can be defined as the minds storage system for information or experience (Gross 1996). The multi-store model of memory developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968/1971 as cited in Gross, 1996; Cardwell, Clark and Meldrum, 2004) is a linier diagram with three stores; the sensory store, short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) stores. Entailing of information flowing in a fixed sequence from one to the next.
Describe and evaluate the Working Memory Model of Memory (12 marks) The working memory model by Baddeley and Hitch in 1974 is an alternative to the multi- store model, which was limited in its description of the STM. It consists of three main components, the first one being the central executive, which has overall control. The central executive is directs attention to two slave systems, the phonological loop and the visual-spatial sketchpad. The central executive has limited capacity but is able to process information from all the sensory systems, e.g. vision, hearing, etc.
Baddeley and Hitch used the term 'working memory' to refer to the part of the memory that is active or working. This could be as simple as playing a game, calculating sums or reading a sentence all of which are collecting data to be stored. The working memory model consists of three parts; these are the central executive, phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad. The central executive controls attention and draws on the other two systems known as the 'slave systems'. The central executive has a limited capacity; in other words it cannot attend to too many things at once.
Baddeley and Hitch developed a multi-store model of the short term memory called the working memory model. The model consists of three components which make up the short term memory. The central executive is a key feature of the whole store as it allocates the information to the two “slave systems” which are the visuospatial spatial sketchpad and the articulatory - phonological loop. The VSS stores visual and spatial information. Mental and visual images are an example.
Describe and discuss the levels of processing model of memory. Explain how this model could be applied to the task of preparing for an examination (10 marks) The levels of processing model of memory suggests there are three different levels, each relating to a different depth of processing. The structural/shallow processing level says that we can understand something without paying much attention to it I.e was the word in capital letters? The phonetic level relates to a higher depth of processing where an individual has to judge whether a word relates to another I.e does this word rhyme with book? Lastly, an even deeper level of processing, known as the deep/semantic level, states that we check words for meaning.
Outline and evaluate the model of working memory In this essay I am going outline what is working memory in terms of psychology and evaluate it in terms of both advantages and limitation of the working memory model. The fact that short-term memory contains both new information and information retrieved from long-term memory has led some psychologists to prefer the term ‘working memory’ (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 1986,1992) Working memory model is an alternative to the multi-store model; it is a far more complex explanation of short-term memory. Baddeley and Hitch argued that the short-term memory was made up of several subsystems, each of them have a specialized function, rather than the short-term memory model being a single inflexible store. According to Martin, G. N, Carlson, N.R & Buskist, W. (2006) “According to Baddeley, working memory is a short-term memory system that allows us to retain material for current use and not just for transport into long-term memory.” Baddeley suggested this short-term memory as having three independent components that allow us to store temporarily visuo-spatial material and verbal material. These components were so-called the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad and the Phonological Loop.