01. Multi Store Model of Memory (MSM)

Question 1

Define encode

Answer 1

Changing incoming information so that it can be stored, ie the format which information is stored in.

Question 2

Define store

Answer 2

The process of holding information in memory.

Question 3

Define retrieve

Answer 3

Recovering (remembering or recalling) information from storage.

Question 4

Define capacity

Answer 4

How much information can be stored.

Question 5

Define duration

Answer 5

How long information can stored.

Question 6

What are the 3 stages of memory?

Answer 6

1. Encoding
2. Storage
3. Retrieval

Question 7

What are the subcomponents of sensory memory?

Answer 7

One store for each of your senses, eg:
-Iconic (visual/sight)
-Echoic (sound)
-Haptic (touch)
-Olfactory (smell)
-Gustatory (taste)

Question 8

What is the capacity of the sensory memory?

Answer 8

Very high as all information from the 5 senses arrives at the sensory register.

Question 9

What is the duration of the sensory memory?

Answer 9

Very short, less than half a second.

Question 10

What is the mode of representation (encoding) of the sensory memory?

Answer 10

Modality specific- information is the same form as it is received: visual, auditory, haptic, olfactory, gustatory.

Question 11

What happens if information is not attended to?

Answer 11

It is lost due to decay (fades away).
Attended information transfers to the short-term memory store.

Question 12

How does information enter the short term memory?

Answer 12

When it is attended to.

Question 13

What is the capacity of the short term memory?

Answer 13

Capacity is limited, only 5-9 chunks of information.

(7 +/- 2)

Question 14

What is the duration of the short term memory?

Answer 14

Duration is up to 30 seconds (without rehearsal).

Question 15

What is the mode of representation (encoding) of the STM?

Answer 15

Acoustic (auditory or verbal)- we may register an image however it is held in verbal formal form in the STM.

Question 16

What happens if information in the STM is not rehearsed?

Answer 16

It decays (is forgotten).
Information can be maintained through maintenance rehearsal.

Question 17

What is elaborative rehearsal necessary for?

Answer 17

Elaborative rehearsal is necessary to strengthen the memory trace and encode through to LTM.
(When we learn something and store it in our memory we are encoding it).

Question 18

What happens when the short term memory is full?

Answer 18

New information displaces or ‘pushes out’ old information and takes its place. The old information which is displaced is forgotten in STM.

Question 19

How does information get passed on to the long term memory?

Answer 19

It’s dependent on the rehearsal process from STM (ie if it is elaborative).

Question 20

What is the capacity of the long term memory?

Answer 20

Potentially limitless.

Question 21

What is the duration of the long term memory?

Answer 21

Potentially a lifetime.

Question 22

What is the mode of representation (encoding) of LTM?

Answer 22

Semantic- based on meaning.

Question 23

How is information recalled from the LTM?

Answer 23

A rapid scan of the stored information to make it back into STM for remembering.

Question 24

Why do memories in the LTM sometimes become distorted?

Answer 24

Memory can be disrupted or interfered with by what we have previously learned or by what we will learn in the future. This suggests that information in long term memory may become confused or combined with other information during encoding thus distorting memories.

Question 25

Describe the Peterson and Peterson (1959) trigram task.

Answer 25

The students had to recall meaningless three-letter trigrams (for example, THG, XWV) at different intervals (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 or 18 seconds). To prevent rehearsal (practice) the students had to count backwards in threes or fours from a specific number, until they were asked to recall the letters.

Question 26

How does the Peterson and Peterson (1959) support the MSM?

Answer 26

Shows the short term store has a limited duration and information decays quickly without rehearsal.

Strength as increases validity of theory.

Question 27

What were the results of the Peterson and Peterson (1959) trigram task?

Answer 27

Peterson & Peterson found that the longer the interval the less accurate the recall. At 3 seconds, around 80% of the trigrams were correctly recalled, whereas at 18 seconds only 10% were correctly recalled.

-The shorter the interval (distraction) the more likely that they would remember the trigram.
-The longer the interval (especially over 15 seconds) the more likely the memory would decay.

Question 28

Describe the Bahrick et al (1975) research task.

Answer 28

Participants were asked to recall the names of their classmates from school.
-By free recall.
-Or by photo recognition from their high school year book.

Question 29

What were the results of the Bahrick et al (1975) research task?

Answer 29

90% were accurate within the 15 years od leaving school and there was 70-80% accuracy 48 years after leaving school.

This suggests duration of LTM is potentially a lifetime.

Question 30

Describe the case study of Henry Molaison (HM)-1968

Answer 30

HM had severe epilepsy. As a treatment he had a bilateral medial temporal lobectomy- removing his hippocampus.

-His semantic memory was still in tact (talking and recalling skills he knew before surgery) he could also form some short term memories.
-But he had severe impairment to his long term memory.
-For years he reported that the year was 1953 and that he was 27 years old.

Question 31

How does the study of HM support the MSM?

Answer 31

Supports the fact the short term memory and long memory are separate as LTM was impaired but STM was functioning.

This increases the validity of the MSM as it backs up the idea that memory is made up of separate stores

Question 32

Describe the refuting research from HM.

Answer 32

He was able to improve his performance on a simple motor task- drawing a star whilst looking at his hand in the mirror. This challenges MSM as HM demonstrated he is able to learn a new skill which must’ve transferred to his LTM. This refutes the idea of LTM as a single unitary store as depicted in MSM. We now recognise different types of long term memory:
-Procedural ‘knowing how’ (could form)
-Declarative ‘knowing what’ (couldn’t form)

Suggests MSM is incomplete.

Question 33

Describe the case study of KF (Shallice and Warrington)-1970

Answer 33

-KF suffered brain damage in a motorcycle accident.
-His LTM appeared normal, but his STM was impaired.
-He has very limited capacity- only 2 chunks.
-His short term memory for digits was very poor when they ere read out loud to him.
-But his short term memory for visual information was much better.

Question 34

How does the study of KF refuse MSM?

Answer 34

MSM is unable to explain the differences in STM capabilities for auditory and visual information. This is a weakness, because the STM is represented as one single unitary store which has now been refuted.

Question 35

Example conclusion?

Answer 35

The MSM was a useful model of memory in its day. It encapsulated many research findings describing the nature of memory stores and the processes that connect them. Further research established that the model was oversimplified- for example there is more than one type of STM and LTM and one type of rehearsal. The MSM eventually gave way to the working memory model, which was able to accommodate these findings more successfully.