Welcome to the World of Memory Models!

Ever wondered how a professional goalkeeper knows exactly where to dive in a split second, or how a basketball player remembers the perfect technique for a free throw every single time? It’s all down to Memory Models and Information Processing.

In this chapter, we are going to explore how our brains take in information from the sporting environment, decide what to do with it, and store it so we can use those skills again. Don't worry if this seems a bit "sciencey" at first—we'll break it down into simple, bite-sized pieces using examples you see on the pitch or court every day.


1. Information Processing Models

In PE, we view the human mind a bit like a computer. We take input from the world, process it, and produce an output (the move we make).

Welford’s and Whiting’s Models

These two researchers created models to explain the stages information goes through:

  • Input: Information from the environment (e.g., seeing a teammate run into space).
  • Stimulus Identification: Recognizing what is happening using our senses.
  • Perception: Interpreting that information. This involves the DCR process:
    • Detection: Noticing the stimulus (e.g., "I see the ball").
    • Comparison: Comparing it to past experiences stored in your memory (e.g., "This ball is spinning like a curveball").
    • Recognition: Realizing exactly what it is (e.g., "It's a curveball, I need to adjust my swing").
  • Selective Attention: This is your "filter." It helps you focus on important cues (the ball) while ignoring irrelevant ones (the crowd shouting).
  • Response Selection: Deciding what move to make.
  • Response Programming: Sending signals to your muscles to actually do it.
  • Output: The physical movement you perform.

Quick Review: Think of Selective Attention as a bouncer at a club—it only lets the "VIP" information (important cues) into your brain!


2. The Multi-Store Memory Model

Information travels through three main "storage rooms" in our brain. To move information from one room to the next, we need to pay attention and practice.

A. Short-Term Sensory Store (STSS)

  • Capacity: Almost limitless—it takes in everything!
  • Duration: Very short (less than 1 second).
  • Function: It holds information just long enough for Selective Attention to pick out what is important.

B. Short-Term Memory (STM)

Often called the "working memory."

  • Capacity: Limited. Most people can hold about \( 7 \pm 2 \) items (between 5 and 9 things).
  • Duration: Short (approx. 30 seconds).
  • Encoding: Information is coded here before being sent to long-term storage.
  • Trick - Chunking: You can "cheat" the capacity limit by chunking. Instead of remembering 1, 0, 1 separately, you remember "101." In sport, instead of remembering "foot here, arm there, head up," you chunk it into "the set position."

C. Long-Term Memory (LTM)

  • Capacity: Limitless.
  • Duration: Permanent (as long as you keep the "pathway" to it clear).
  • Retrieval: This is the process of "pulling" a skill out of LTM back into STM so you can use it.
  • Rehearsal: To get information from STM to LTM, you must repeat it (practice!).

Key Takeaway: Practice (rehearsal) moves skills into permanent storage (LTM), and retrieval brings them back when you need them under pressure.


3. Reaction, Movement, and Response Time

Speed is everything in sport, but there are different "types" of speed in your brain.

The Formula:
\( \text{Response Time} = \text{Reaction Time} + \text{Movement Time} \)

  • Reaction Time: The time from the onset of a stimulus to the start of the movement. (e.g., Hearing the starting gun to the moment your muscles twitch).
  • Movement Time: The time it takes to physically complete the move.
  • Response Time: The total time from the stimulus to the end of the move.

Hick’s Law

Hick's Law states that as the number of choices increases, your reaction time slows down.
Example: If a rugby player has three options (pass, kick, or run), their reaction time will be slower than if they only had one option (pass).

The Psychological Refractory Period (PRP)

Have you ever been "sent the wrong way" by a fake move in football? That’s the PRP at work.
When Stimulus 1 (the fake move) happens, your brain starts processing it. If Stimulus 2 (the real move) happens immediately after, your brain cannot start processing the second move until it finishes the first one. This creates a "bottleneck" delay.

Did you know? Elite athletes use the PRP to their advantage by "faking" to freeze their opponent for a split second!


4. Schema Theory

This theory, by Richard Schmidt, suggests that we don't store every single tiny movement. Instead, we store Generalised Motor Programmes (GMPs)—basically "rules" for movement that we can adapt.

A Schema is an organised package of information. It has four parts, split into two sections:

Recall Schema (Before/Starting the movement)

  1. Initial Conditions: Where am I? (e.g., "I am 10 meters from the hoop").
  2. Response Specifications: What do I need to do? (e.g., "I need to jump and push the ball with this much force").

Recognition Schema (During/After the movement)

  1. Sensory Consequences: How did it feel? (Kinaesthetic feedback).
  2. Response Outcomes: What happened? (Did the ball go in?).

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse Recall with Recognition. Recall is about starting the move; Recognition is about judging and correcting it.


Summary Checklist: Are you exam-ready?

1. Can you explain the DCR process (Detection, Comparison, Recognition)?
2. Do you know the capacity and duration of STM vs LTM?
3. Can you define Hick's Law using a sporting example?
4. Can you explain why a "dummy" or "fake" causes a delay using the Psychological Refractory Period?
5. Do you know the 4 components of Schema Theory?

Keep practicing these definitions! Just like a sports skill, the more you rehearse this information, the easier it will be to retrieve from your Long-Term Memory during the exam!