ShortTerm Memory Learning Objectives Understand what memory is

Short-Term Memory Learning Objectives: Understand what memory is Know the 2 different types of memory Understand the terms capacity, duration and coding and evaluate these To start - write down all of the activities in relation to STM and LTM in the period between getting up in the morning and arriving at school that require memory

Imagine You wake up one morning and you’ve lost your memory. Try to answer the following questions: 1. What do you normally do in a day that you would no longer be able to do? 2. What if you did not recognise your friends or family? 3. What experiences would you miss if you couldn’t remember TV programmes or news articles? 4. How could you plan your day if you forgot what you were thinking about a few minutes earlier?

Short and Long-term memory Short-term memory is your memory for things that have happened in the present or immediate past Long-term memory is your memory for events that have happened in the past Think of 2 examples of STM and LTM

Capacity is how much information can be stored in our memory. Look at these numbers. Memorise them with our writing them down: 6 4 2 9 0 5 7 1 3 8

Capacity How did you do? 6 4 2 9 0 5 7 1 3 8 The number that you remember in the correct order is your memory span. Typically people can remember between 5 and 9 items - the magic 7 +- 2 (Miller, 1956)

Capacity So, our short-term memory has a capacity of 7 plus or minus 2. We can try to increase our STM capacity by ‘chunking’ information together (we can remember words as well as letters) Our long-term memory has a potential infinite capacity. How would you feel if I told you that your memory has stored every single thing that you have ever done, seen, smelled, said, heard etc. ?

Capacity Cowan (2001) found that STM may actually be limited to 4 chunks, rather than 5 -9. Short-term memory therefore might not be as big as initially thought.

Capacity

Capacity As you can see, not everyone recalls the same amount of information there are INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES in the capacity of STM. What things might effect your STM capacity?

Capacity USAGCSEBBCMSN We also find that larger chunks are easier to remember than smaller ones

Duration refers to how long we can keep things in our memory before they are no longer accessible. LTM lasts forever, however as the name suggests, STM has a short duration. http: //ebooks. bfwpub. com/psychinquiry/sh ell. php? activity=assess_duration_short_m em - LOG BOOK ACTIVITY.

Duration What is the issue when we test STM? In everyday life, would you be required to recall a random list of letters and numbers? Many of these tests lack meaning for us and therefore we might not be able to recall as much information from our STM

Duration Some results of STM duration measurement may not be accurate as participants may have been ‘overwriting’ the previously learnt information with the new information. This is why many psychologists prefer to use the term ‘working memory’ instead of short-term as information from STM often combines with information from LTM to help us perform everyday tasks

Reflection and Homework Complete learning activity 6. 7 Finish your log book activity on STM if you have not already.