Bundle of AQA Psychology Notes for ALL of the memory topics. Made specifically to be a supplementary revision guide. Compiled using online resources, mark schemes, knowledge gathered from my time studying AQA - A Level psychology and the AQA textbook.
Topic AO1 AO3
Coding, Coding: Coding:
Capacity and
Baddely (1966) Acoustic and Semantic: Baddeley’s study identified 2 memory
Duration of
memory Procedure: . or dissimilar words, stores. Later research showed there
semantically similar or dissimilar words were no exception to Baddeley’s
were asked to be recalled by participants findings, but STM is mostly acoustic and
Findings: immediate recall was worse for LTM is mainly semantic which led to the
acoustically similar words (STM is acoustic) development of the MSM. ✅
Recall after 20 minutes worse with Baddeley’s study used artificial stimuli.
semantically similar words (LTM is The words had no personal meaning to
semantic) the participant’s so tells us little about
coding for everyday memory tasks.
Capacity When processing more meaningful
Jacobs (1887) Testing digit span: information, people use more
Procedure: researcher read 4 digits and meaningful stimuli which therefore
increases until participant cannot recall means that the findings have limited
order correctly – final number = digit span application ❌
Findings: on average, participants could
repeat back 9.3 numbers and 7.3 letters in Capacity:
the correct order immediately Jacob’s study has been replicated. It was
an old study and may have lacked
Miller (1956) Magic number 7+/- 2 adequate. Controls yet Jacobs findings
Procedure: Miller observed everyday have been confirmed in later controlled
practice, noted that things come in sevens studies such as Bopp and Verhaegen in
, – notes of musical scale. Days of the week, 2005. This shows that Jacobs study is a
deadly sins. valid measure of STM digit span. ✅
Findings: Span of STM is around 7 items Millers research may overestimate STM
(plus or minus 2) but is increased by capacity. Cowen reviewed other
chunking – grouping sets of digits/letters research and concluded that the
capacity of STM was only 4 chunks
Duration which suggests that the lower end of
Peterson and Peterson (1959) consonant miller’s estimate is more appropriate
syllables than 7. ❌
Procedure: 24 students given a consonant
syllable (e.g., YCG) to recall and a 3-digit Duration:
number to count backwards from. The Petersons and Petersons study uses
retention interval was varied: 3,6,9,12,15 meaningless stimuli. Recall of consonant
or 18 seconds. syllables does not reflect everyday
Findings: after 3 seconds, recall was about meaningful memory tasks. Therefore
80%. After 18, it was about 3%. STM the study lacks external validity. ❌
duration with no rehearsal is up to 18 Bahriks et al had strong external validity
seconds. as everyday meaningful memories of
people’s faces and names were studied.
Bahrik et al (1975) Yearbook quotes When lab studies were done with
Participants were 392 Americans between meaningless pictures to be
17 and 74. First, there was a recognition remembered, the recall rates were lower
test from 50 photos from high school which shows how Bahriks findings
yearbooks and second, a free recall test reflect a more ‘real’ estimate of the
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