evaluation of the multi - store model of memory

Question 1

what does it mean when we say the MSM has supporting research evidence

Answer 1

a major strength of MSM is that it is supported by research studies that show that STM and LTM are indeed qualitatively different

e.g. Baddely found we tend to mix up words that sound similar when we are using STMs
we also mix up words that have similar meanings when we use our LTM

This shows that coding in STM is acoustic ad in LTM it is semantic. This means they are different and therefore supports MSM’s view that these two memory stores are separate and independent

Question 2

MSM states that STM is a unitary store ( there is only one type of STM - how is this a limitation

Answer 2

This is a limitation because there is evidence to suggest that there is more there one short term memory store

e.g. evidence from people suffering from amnesia shows this.
Shallice and Warrington (1970) studied a patent with amnesia called KF.
The found that KF’s short term memory for digits was very poor when read out loud but his recall was much better when he read the digits himself.

Further evidence of KF and other people with amnesia showed that there could be another short - term store for non-verbal sounds (noises)

This is a limitation for the MSM because it shows that at the very least there must be more than one short term store to process visual info and one to process auditory info ( WMM includes this)

Question 3

why is there being more than one form of rehearsal a limitation for the working model of memory

Answer 3

Craik and Watkins (1973) found that there was in fact two types of rehearsal.

Maintenance rehearsal is the type that is described in the MSM but does not transfer info into the LTM ( like the model suggests) but it maintains it in the STM ( hence the name)

Elaborative rehearsal is needed for long term memory storage. This occurs when you link the info to your existing knowledge, or you think about what it means

This is a very serious limitation of the MSM because it is another research finding that cannot be explained by the model

Question 4

artificial stimuli

Answer 4

in everyday life, we form memories related to all sorts of useful things - people’s faces, and so on

But a lot of the research studies that provide support for the MSM used none of these materials.
Instead, they used digits, letters, and sometimes words.

They even used what is known as constant syllables that have no meaning
This is an issue as it suggests that perhaps the MSM is more useful to explain how information with no meaning flows through the system rather than actually meaningful ones.

This in turn limits its generalisability

Question 5

there is more than one type of LTM

Answer 5

there is a lot more research evidence that LTM, like STM, is not a unitary memory store

For example, we have one long term store for our memories of facts about the world, and we have a different one for our memories of how to ride a bicycle.

this means that perhaps the MSM memory is not a comprehensive (or complete )