PSYC1020 Lecture 6: Memory and Language
Lecture 6 - Memory and Language
● Memory
● Working memory
● Long term memory
● Language
Shiffrin and Atkinson model of memory
Source: prof. Vervaeke’s lecture slide 2
● Short term memory
○ Talking in terms of long term memory
Working memory
● memory is reconstructive in nature, and how that is adaptive
○ But this is mostly the case for long term memory
● One important distinction is between long term memory (LTM) and working memory
(WM)
○ Working memory
■ where you consciously hold information in mind so that you can
manipulate and transform it
● There are two guiding metaphors and corresponding sets of data about Working
Memory (WM)
○ Both acknowledge capacity limits in processing (v. limited on how much it can
hold in your mind outside of conscious awareness) but conceptualize Working
Memory differently in terms of those capacity limits
■ 1) holding capacity in which WM is a limited holding space
● Activate and used all the limited amount of info in long term
memory
■ 2) WM function is efficiency in the use information
● How efficiently you can process the info
● Analogy: So, in the first working memory is like your kitchen counter with the cupboards
as your long term memory
○ If too many things are taken from the cupboard the countertop become full and
new items cannot be placed until old items are removed: can’t hold it all in place
■ In this model working memory is acting like a bottleneck in information
processing
● =narrow holding space and can only get a limited amount of info
○ One of the implications of this: more intelligent people
have greater holding capacity
■ Important connection between working memory
and intelligence
● important connections between WM and intelligence
○ basic idea in this proposal
■ if one can hold more information in working memory then one performs
more transformations and manipulations of the information
○ That increased ability to hold and manipulate things in working memory will
allow them to solve more problems in their head=what makes them more
intelligent
■ Ex. standard iq test=how much you can hold in working memory
■ Ppl that can hold more in working memory, seems to be more intelligent
● But ppl who seem to have a low measure of working memory still
seem to be intelligent, so must be something going on
● 2nd view has to do with: phenomenon of chunking
○ So I am going to show you some letters very briefly and you need to tell me what
they are
■ Ok, so you were much better on the second version than on the first one
■ The same information in both cases but in the second version it had been
chunked
● what is a chunk? Why does it improve retention in working memory?
○ Chunking is not an explanation, it is a phenomena that needs explanation
■ Seems to challenge holding space metaphor
○ Chunk: features have been integrated into a whole that is meaningful to you
■ Pieces of information have been made relevant to each other and to you
and that improves WM
● This would make sense if WM was a relevance filter - notice
connections to attention
○ There would be v. deep connections between working
memory and attention
● Given this model of WM what implications does it have for intelligence?
● Now intelligence would be a function not so much of holding capacity of working
memory but of the ability to zero in on relevant information and organize it in a relevant
manner
○ Skillful way of which you pay attention, integrate info and making it relevant to
you
○ There would be deep connections between attention, WM, and intelligence
● It is possible for both of them to be true together
○ But not possible for just the holding model to be true on its own
■ Does not account for chunking phenomenon
Document Summary
Talking in terms of long term memory. Memory is reconstructive in nature, and how that is adaptive. But this is mostly the case for long term memory. One important distinction is between long term memory (ltm) and working memory (wm) Where you consciously hold information in mind so that you can manipulate and transform it. There are two guiding metaphors and corresponding sets of data about working. Both acknowledge capacity limits in processing (v. limited on how much it can hold in your mind outside of conscious awareness) but conceptualize working. Memory differently in terms of those capacity limits. 1) holding capacity in which wm is a limited holding space. Activate and used all the limited amount of info in long term memory. 2) wm function is efficiency in the use information. How efficiently you can process the info. Analogy: so, in the first working memory is like your kitchen counter with the cupboards as your long term memory.
