L2 - Multi Store Model

Question 1

Who was the first memory experimentalist?

Answer 1

Herman Ebbinghaus

Question 2

What did Ebbinghaus find in his first memory experiments and how?

Answer 2

Studied long lists of nonsense syllables, attempting to memorise them. Discovered general patterns: law of repetition, law of forgetting and the learning curve.

Question 3

What does the multi-store model suggest?

Answer 3

That memory can be divided into three different stores: sensory, short term and long term memory.

Question 4

What is the function of sensory memory?

Answer 4

To keep sensory information in mind to enable us to attend to it if we want or need to.

Question 5

What are the features of sensory memory?

Answer 5

• holds sensory information very briefly.

- is modality specific

Question 6

What types of sensory memory are there?

Answer 6

• iconic
• echoic
• haptic
• olfactory
• gustatory

Question 7

What is iconic memory?

Answer 7

for vision

Question 8

What is echoic memory?

Answer 8

for hearing

Question 9

What is haptic memory?

Answer 9

for touch

Question 10

What is olfactory memory?

Answer 10

for smell

Question 11

What is gustatory memory?

Answer 11

for taste

Question 12

After how long does information in the iconic memory store dissipate?

Answer 12

Around 500ms

Question 13

What did Sperling (1960) find out about iconic memory?

Answer 13

Partial report conditions enabled the total number of letters recalled to be higher, when there is little tone delay. Shows that iconic memory store is large, but has to perceive the information in time.

Question 14

What is the function of short term memory?

Answer 14

To consciously process information

Question 15

What can short term memory also be called?

Answer 15

Working memory

Question 16

What are the features of short term memory?

Answer 16

• capacity of around 7 items (plus/minus 2)

- limited duration, of around 15-20 seconds, if not rehearsed.

Question 17

What is a criticism of the short term memory component of the multi store model? And what are the responses to these criticisms?

Answer 17

It suggests that forgetting is only due to decay, when actually:

• PI and RI take place
• the type of distractor tasks influence recall
• the level of processing and amount of recall influences affect what is transferred to LTM
• encoding specificity principle suggests cue dependent forgetting/

Question 18

What is implicit memory?

Answer 18

Memory that does not depend on conscious recollection

Question 19

Is STM necessary to transfer to LTM?

Answer 19

No, evidence shows patients without STM can still form long term memories.

Question 20

Is STM unitary?

Answer 20

No, because there are many different independent components.

Question 21

What is the function of LTM?

Answer 21

To organise and store information.

Question 22

What are the features of LTM?

Answer 22

• capacity to transfer STM into LTM, if it is rehearsed, etc.
• unlimited capacity
• unlimited duration

Question 23

Are STM and LTM distinct?

Answer 23

We believe so, yes. Due to research from serial position curve effects.

Question 24

What do serial expression curve experiments show?

Answer 24

That STM and LTM are distinct.
Items displayed earlier on are remembered more easily as they are said to have been transferred to LTM (primacy effect). Items presented later on are said to still remain in the STM at the time of recall (recency effect).

Question 25

Which effect enables better memory: recency or primacy?

Answer 25

Recency effect.

Question 26

What is retroactive interference (RI)?

Answer 26

The tendency of later learning to hinder the memory of previously learned material

Question 27

What is proactive interference (PI)?

Answer 27

Disruption of memory by previous learning of similar material.

Question 28

What are the criticisms of the serial position effect?

Answer 28

1. Could be that the first and last items are less confusable
2. Could be proactive and retroactive interference, rather than STM and LTM being distinct.