Memory

Question 1

Describe the spatial metaphor for memory.

Answer 1

• Presupposes that memory is like a space where stable objects are kept in stable locations
• Holds that memory retrieval is searching through the space to find something

Question 2

What are the three types of memory according to the multi-store model of memory?

Answer 2

• Sensory • Short Term (STS) • Long Term (LTS)

Question 3

What are the strengths of the multi-store models of memory?

Answer 3

• When a human is viewed as an information processes, it seems natural to posit holding/storage mechanisms for that information

Question 4

What are the weaknesses of the multi-store models of memory?

Answer 4

• A key feature of STS is limited capacity yet the exact nature of this limitation is obscure
• There is contradictory evidence of how multistore models account for coding - different stores may not be distinguishable by type of coding

Question 5

Who first proposed the multi-store model?

Answer 5

• Broadbent (1958) purposed that information must be held transiently before entering the limited-capacity processing channel.
• His ideas have been developed and extended by many psychologists.