Question

Describe STM in terms of (with evidence): > Definition > Format (what are the limits? How can we get around this?) > Durability of storage > Capacity of storage > The primacy and recency effects. As well as in a real-life example of ___ with amnesia.

Options:
A) Sensory Memory
B) Working Memory
C) Long-term Memory
D) Retrograde Amnesia

Answer 1

STM is a temporary storage system with a limited capacity and duration, while LTM has unlimited capacity and stores information for long periods of time. The primacy and recency effects influence the recall of items. Retrograde amnesia can impact STM and LTM.

Step-by-step explanation:

Short-term memory (STM), also known as working memory, is a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory. It has a limited capacity, typically holding about seven bits of information. However, this capacity can be expanded by using strategies such as chunking, which involves grouping related items together. STM has a duration of about 15 to 30 seconds, after which the information is either transferred to long-term memory or forgotten.

The capacity of long-term memory (LTM) is believed to be unlimited, and it stores information for long periods of time. The way information is organized in LTM affects its accessibility and retrieval. For example, the primacy effect refers to our tendency to remember items at the beginning of a list better, while the recency effect refers to our tendency to remember items at the end of a list better.

An example of someone with amnesia and its impact on STM and LTM is a person who has retrograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory for events that occurred prior to brain trauma. This individual may have difficulty recalling recent events due to retrograde amnesia, but their long-term memories before the trauma may remain intact.