Atkinson-Shiffrin's Multi-Store Model Of Memory: Short Term Memory

Question 1

Define: short term memory

Answer 1

a memory system with limited storage capacity in which information is stored for a relatively short time, unless rehearsed.

Question 2

Define: working memory

Answer 2

part of STM that we are consciously and actively manipulating (or “working on”) at any given time.

Question 3

Is the information in the STM an encoding of the sensory stimulus, rather than an exact replica?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

What is the storage duration of the STM?

Answer 4

18-20 seconds without rehearsal. (between 12-30 at most)

Question 5

What experimental research shows the limited storage duration of the STM?

Answer 5

Participants given trigrams (meaningless groups of 3 letters eg. wdo) to memorise; after presented, they were given a distractor task for 3-18 seconds to prevent researsal; by 18 seconds most parts had forgotten most of the trigrams.

Question 6

What is the storage capacity of the STM?

Answer 6

7±2 pieces of information; regardless of the nature of that info.

Question 7

How is info lost from STM?

Answer 7

When storage capacity is exceeded - specifically, though displacement and decay

Question 8

Define: displacement

Answer 8

Loss of information from STM by old information being pushed out by new infromation.

Question 9

Define: decay

Answer 9

Loss of information from STM due to it not being maintained by rehearsal