Memory Models Learning about the structure of memory can improve your study skil
ID: 3499806 • Letter: M
Question
Memory Models
Learning about the structure of memory can improve your study skills. In this assignment, you will discuss the academic applications of memory models and try to apply the principles to yourself. Use the readings for the module and the terminology of the subject and respond to these questions:
You are a teaching assistant for an undergraduate history class and need to prepare a test. You want evidence to show that students know the material well. What kind of test would you prepare? What kind of test do you think requires the most in-depth knowledge? Why?
As Dan took his history test, he could not recollect many of the dates he had studied. Dan had memorized some important dates just before the test. While he was doing this, he was also talking on the phone. Which of Dan's memory stores—sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), or long-term memory (LTM)—do you think were most affected by his phone conversation? Why? Could Dan have done something differently to prevent forgetting the dates? Explain.
Identify two different kinds of mnemonic devices that could help Dan remember dates for his history test. Explain how they could be used.
Melissa is disappointed that she received yet another “D” on a test. She studied for several hours by reading and rereading her textbook and class notes. Based on the levels-of-processing memory theory, explain why Melissa’s method of studying was not very effective? What could she have done differently?
Using Baddeley’s working memory model, give an example of two tasks that could successfully be performed simultaneously (For example, can you listen to music while studying at the same time?). Discuss two other tasks that probably would interfere with each other. Make sure to discuss your answers in terms of the visuospatial scratchpad, the phonological loop, and the central executive.
Write your initial response in 4–5 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of
Explanation / Answer
As a teaching assistant for an undergraduate history class, if i want evidence to show that students know some material well, i will prepare a memory test. Psychological testing requires the most in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. This is because psychological tests aim to reveal, hidden and unconcious aspects of a person. It therefore requires detailed knowledge of the subject matter to prepare a test on a variable and conduct the test with a sound theoritical background and knowledge. In the above mentioned case, to test the memory of students, the concept of memory, along with its models or theories should be absolutely clear to the tester. Then only the tester will be able to make inferences about the sample behavior, under study.
Dan could not recollect many of the dates he had studied just before a test. While learning the dates, he was talking over the phone. So, the dates got stored in the short term memory. Short term memory is the second stage of the multi-store memory model forwarded by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin, after the sensory memory. In the short term memory, information is stored for a brief period of time (for 15 to 30 seconds) because in this stage, rehearsal or active maintenance does not take place. The short term memory therefore has a limited capacity of holding about 7 items. Dan was busy with the phone call, while memorizing the dates. The formation of strong memory codes for the dates were most affected by his phone conversation. This is because it created a weak memory for the dates in Dan's brain. The dates could not be rehearsed before the test due to the phone call and therefore could not be transferred to the long term memory for long term storage. The dates were only registered in the brain for a short period of time in the short term memory. The phone call interrupted with the process of memorization, which ultimately ends in the long term memory. Therefore, Dan could not recollect many of the dates, during the test. Dan could have avoided the phone call during the momorization process and utilized the time to rehearse the dates, so that they could be stored in the long term memory. With long term storage, Dan would have been able to recollect many dates, during the test.
Dan could have used a mnemonic device of chunking to learn the dates. This is a method of memorizing, which involves organization of information into more easily learned groups, phrases, words or numbers. So, Dan could have chunked the dates together and learned them like phone numbers. Making connections is another mnemonic device, where the present information to-be memorized is associated with something, with which one is familiar. The dates could have been associated with the names of the kings or queens, ruling during a given time period.
Melissa studied for several hours by reading and rereading her textbook and class notes, and stilled received a D grade. Surely, Melissa’s method of studying was not very effective. This is because deep information processing was missing, while she was studying or memorizing the material. Her level of information processing was shallow, based on a several analysis (reading and re-reading) of the material. In deep processing of information, meaning is also extracted from the material, which might have been missing in case of Melissa. Melissa's level of processing was indeed shallow, with only maintenance rehearsal or repetition or reading of material again and again, which only led to storage in the short term memory and fairly short-term retention. Mellisa could have engaged herself in deep processing of information, which involves elaboration rehearsal or a more meaningful analysis of information, using images, thinking, associations, etc. It is deep processing, which leads to long term storage and fairly long term retention.
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) provided a new insight into the working memory or the short-term memory. They were of the view that all information does not enter a single store (or short term memory). Instead, for different kinds of information, there are different systems in the short term memory. These systems are the central executive, the visuospatial sketchpad and the phonological loop. The central executive is reponsible for selecting which information has to be attended to and which parts of the working memory they are to be send. The visuospatial sketchpad (which stores and processes visual or spatial information) and phonological loop (which is a portion of the working memory that handles spoken and written materials) are the slave systems of the central executive. The central executive monitores and coordinates the actions of the visuospatial sketchpad and the phonological loop.
Two tasks that could successfully be performed simultaneously are the tasks, which utilize two different perceptual domains. For example, a visual tasks (requiring visuospatial sketchpad) like watching television and a verbal task (requiring phonological loop) like repeating a word 'and'. Two activities sometimes interfere with each other like driving a car and talking. Instead of unfortunately undergoing an accident and consequent injury, the best idea would be to stop talking and focus on driving. In such a case, the central executive directs attention to something which is important. The central executive helps the working memory system to selectively attend to some information and ignore the rest.