Level of processing

Level of processing model

1. Topic - level of processing model

2. Robert s. Lockhart Fergus I.M.Craik

3. Level of processing model Basically Craik & Lockhart believed that the depth of mental processing affected memory function. Memories that were deeply processed led to longer lasting memories while shallow processing led to memories that decayed easily. Shallow processing occurs in four ways: Structural: Processing how an object or sound looks Phonemic: When we process how something sounds Graphemic: Processing letters contained in a word Orthographic: Processing the shape of something

4. Deep or semantic processing occurs in three ways:The process of relating an object/situation etc. To something elseWhen the meaning of something is thought of When we process the importance of something Simply put, the way we process information totally affects the extent that it is memorized according to the levels of processing model. Deep and semantic processing involves us thinking deeply about something which causes the memory of it to be easily accessed. Whereas shallow processing only thinks about the surface of something, meaning it soon decays and is forgotten.

5. Determine of memory There are three factors which determine if a memory remains: Maintenance Rehearsal: The process of repeating the information Elaborative Rehearsal: When the information is analyzed in a deeper way Distinctiveness: The ability to tell items apart

6. Strengths and weaknesses Strengths The theory is an improvement on Atkinson & Shiffrin’s account of transfer from STM to LTM. For example, elaboration rehearsal leads to recall of information than just maintenance rehearsal. The levels of processing model changed the direction of memory research. It showed that encoding was not a simple, straightforward process. This widened the focus from seeing long-term memory as a simple storage unit to seeing it as a complex processing system. It explains why we remember some things much better and for much longer than others. This explanation of memory is useful in everyday life because it highlights the way in which elaboration, which requires deeper processing of information, can aid memo

7. Weaknesses Despite these strengths, there are a number of criticisms of the levels of processing theory: • It does not explain how the deeper processing results in better memories. • Deeper processing takes more effort than shallow processing and it could be this, rather than the depth of processing that makes it more likely people will remember something. • The concept of depth is vague and cannot be observed. Therefore, it cannot be objectively measured.