2.1 WMM & MSM

Question 1

What is the multi-store model (MSM)?

Answer 1

A representation of how memory flows in terms of three stores called the sensory register, STM and LTM

Question 2

What is the sensory register?

Answer 2

The memory stores for each of our five senses

Question 3

What is the coding, capacity and duration of the sensory register?

Answer 3

• Coding: modality specific (depends on the sense)
• Capacity: very high (over one hundred million receptors)
• Duration: very short (less than half a second)

Question 4

What is the store for vision in the sensory register?

Answer 4

Iconic store (visual)

Question 5

What is the store for hearing in the sensory register?

Answer 5

Echoic store (acoustic)

Question 6

What is the importance of attention in the MSM?

Answer 6

Information passes further into the memory system only if you pay attention (attention is key process)

Question 7

Describe the process of the MSM

Answer 7

• Stimulus from the environment enters the sensory register
• Through attention, information enters the STM
• Through prolonged rehearsal, this information enters the LTM
• However, through retrieval the information passes back from the LTM to the STM

Question 8

What is maintenance rehearsal?

Answer 8

When we repeat material to ourselves over and over again.

Question 9

How does rehearsal effect memory?

Answer 9

• We can keep information in our STM as long as we rehearse it
• If we rehearse it long enough it passes on to LTM

Question 10

AO3 for MSM

Answer 10

1. Research support: studies show STM and LTM are different, Baddeley found we tend to mix up acoustically similar words when using STM but semantically similar when using LTM, further supoort from capacity and duration studies, clearly show that STM and LTM are seperate and independent stores as claimed by MSM
Counterpoint: artificial material, not reflective of everday life

2. More than one STM store: Shallice and Warrington (1970) studid a client called KF who had clinical memory disorder named amnesia, KF’s STM for digits was very poor when read out loud to him, recall was better when he read digits to himself, further studies show there could be another STM store for non-verbal sounds, suggests MSM is wrong in claiming just one store processing different information

3. Elaborative rehearsal: prolonged rehearsal not needed to transfer to LTM, MSM states what matters about rehearsal is the amount of it, more you rehearse the more likely to transfer to LTM (prolonged), Craik and Watkins (1973) found type of rehearsal more important than amount, elaborative needed for LTM (when you link information to your existing knowledge), means information can be transferred to LTM without prolonged rehearsal, MSM does not fully explain how LTM storage is achieved

Question 11

What is the working memory model (WMM)?

Answer 11

A representation of STM where the STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using subsystems coordinated by a central decision-making system

Question 12

What is are 2 functions of the central executive?

Answer 12

• Monitors incoming data
• Allocates the activities of the three subsystems into tasks

Question 13

What is are 2 functions of the phonological loop?

Answer 13

• Deals with auditory information
• Preserves the order in which the information arrives

Question 14

What is the function of the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 14

• Processes visual and spatial information in mental space called the ‘inner eye’

Question 15

What are 2 functions of the episodic buffer?

Answer 15

Brings together material from the other subsystems (e.g visual, spatial, verbal) into one single memory rather than separate strands

Question 16

What are 2 features of the central executive?

Answer 16

• Limited processing capacity
• Does not store information

Question 17

What are the 2 subdivisions of the phonological loop?

Answer 17

• Phonological store: stores the words you hear
• Articulatory process: allows maintenance rehearsal

Question 18

What is a feature of the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 18

• Limited capacity (about 3 or 4 objects)

Question 19

What are 2 subdivisions of the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 19

• Visual cache: stores visual data
• Inner scribe: records the arrangement of objects in the same field

Question 20

What are 2 features of the episodic buffer?

Answer 20

• Limited capacity (abour 4 chunks)
• Links working memory to LTM

Question 21

AO3 for WMM

Answer 21

1. Clinical evidence: Shallice and Warrington (1970) case study of patient KF, after KF’s brain injury he had poor STM ability for auditory information but could process visual information normally, immediate recall of letters/words were better when he read them than when they were read to him, KF’s phonological loop was damaged but visuo-spatial sketchpad was still intact, supports the existence of separate visual and acoustic memory stores
*Counterpoint: unclear whether KF had other cognitive impairments which might have affected his memory on performance tasks *

2. Dual-task performance: supports the separate existence of the visuo-spatial sketchpad, when Baddeley’s participants carried out visual and verbal task at same time their performance on each similar to when carried out separately, but when both tasks visual or both verbal performance declined, because both visual takss fight for the same subsystem whereas no competition when performing visual and verbal task together, shows there must be a separate subsystem for visual and verbal processing

3. Nature of central executive: lack of clarity, Baddeley (2003) said ‘central executive is most important but least understood component of working memory’, the CE needs to be more clearly specified than being simply for attention e.g some believe CE may consist of separate subcomponents, means that CE is an unsatisfactory component which challenges the intergity of WMM