Nature of Memory STM Capacity Miller proposed 7 + - 2 items. Magical Number 7.

This was demonstrated by reading lists of digits to pps who immediately had to repeat back list in right order. Lists started with 3 digits and increased by a digit every time until recall dropped to 50% accuracy only. Factors affecting capacity: o Age Childrens STMs increase until 9 years old where it levels off o Reading aloud- better recall o Rhythm- form of chunking o Chunking o Word-length effect Pps show number of lists of five words for controlled times. One list polysyllabic, other monosyllabic. Pps asked to write down words. Fewer long words recalled as take up more rehearsal time so capacity amounts to length of words with shorter ones remembered better

Encoding Conrad studied acoustic confusion o Showed pps series of random sequences of 6 consonants quickly of a screen and pps asked to write down in correct order o Letter sequences either acoustically similar or dissimilar o More difficult to recall acoustically similar than dissimilar, generally more errors o Concluded that STM encodes acoustically since difference between conditions wouldnt have appeared if STM is visual encoding as words visually present in both conditions

Duration Peterson and Peterson o Presented pps with trigrams and intervals to count backward o Found less remembered the longer the interval o Showing duration of STM limited Factors affecting duration: o Rehearsal o Nature of information- words easily pictured and familiar, better remembered o Age and education lower education linked to impaired STM from Bherer study however may have been due to EVs

LTM Duration Bahrick o o o 392 graduates with their yearbooks. Pps of diff ages and time since graduation varying. 1 30 pictures from each yearbook to use and pps asked to recall and match names to pictures etc. Found that 48 years on, around 70% accurate when matching names to faces.