Bartlett's Theory of Reconstructive Memory
List the 4 ways memories can have errors in them according to Bartlett.
Omission, Transformation, familiarisation, rationalisation
What is the sensory register?
the store that receives all of the sensory information around us and holds it very briefly
What is an extraneous variable?
variable that is not controlled, which could affect the results of a study
What is reductionism?
a theory of explaining something according to its basic parts
On average, how many items can you have in your short-term memory?
7
What is ecological validity?
extent to which the findings explain the behaviour in real-world situations
What are the three main stores of memory according to the Multi-Store Model of Memory
- sensory register
- short-term memory
- long-term memory
What is a double-blind study?
when the aims of the study are withheld from both participants and researchers
What is an example of holistic research in the psychology of memory?
The Multi-Store Model of Memory
What does duration refer to?
Length of time that information is held in STM and LTM
What is a criticism of Bartlett's theory of reconstructive memory?
No standardisation
Subjectivity
What is the name for the sensory register we use for sound?
Echoic memory
What is one way to control for order effects?
Counter balancing or randomisaiton
What is an example of holistic research in the psychology of memory?
Bartlett's research - the War of the Ghosts study
18 seconds
What is active reconstruction?
memory is not an exact copy of what we experienced, but an interpretation or reconstruction of events that are influenced by our schema (expectation) when we remember them again
Atkinson and Shiffrin believed STM is modality free. What does modality free mean?
The STM is not linked to a specific type of sensory information - it can encode memories from all stores
What is independent measures design?
Participants are split into groups; each group is tested in only one condition of the study
What is a strength of a reductionist approach?
Can give a single, clear explanation
Standardised procedures
What is the difference between anterograde and retrograde amnesia?
Anterograde - unable to form new long-term memories; person typically retains LTM from before accident/disease
Retrograde - LTM from before accident/disease damaged to varying degrees
Ali sees a robbery take place after work. The man who commits the robbery is wearing blue. When Ali recounts the even to the police, he says the robber wore black. Why did Ali say this?
According to Ali's schema of robbers/criminals, these people are dressed in black. Ali's memory has familiarised the unfamiliar details in the story to fit his own schema.
What is one weakness of the multi-store model of memory?
Overstates the role of rehearsal as a way to transfer information into LTM
We do not always need to repeat information over and over to remember it
Unlikely that we only have one type of long-term memory
What is a weakness of matched pairs design?
It is time-consuming to match participants and not all characteristics can be equally matched.
What type of research is associated with holism?
Qualitative - interviews
What two ways can memory be forgotten? (Name and explain)
Displacement: when the STM becomes ‘full’ and new information pushes out older information
Interference: when new information overwrites older information (example: a new phone number takes the place of an old phone number)