Memory Models: MSM (1968)

Question 1

Who proposed this memory model?

Answer 1

Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

Question 2

What is meant by information being processed in a linear fashion?

Answer 2

Information is processed through a system in a set order, such as encoding, storing, and retrieving.

Question 3

List the 3 main sections of MSM in order.

Answer 3

• Sensory store
• Short term memory
• Long term memory

Question 4

State the capacity, duration, and type of encoding for the sensory store.

Answer 4

Capacity = 4 items
Duration = 1/2 a second
Encoding = all modalities

Question 5

How is information lost in the sensory store?

Answer 5

Through decay or for not being paid attention to in the first place.

Question 6

How does information move from the sensory store to short term memory?

Answer 6

If it is paid attention to.

Question 7

State the capacity, duration, and type of encoding for the short term memory.

Answer 7

Capacity = 5-9 items
Duration = 15-30 seconds
Encoding = acoustic

Question 8

How does information stay in short term memory?

Answer 8

Through repetition of items in the rehearsal loop.

Question 9

How is information lost in the short term memory?

Answer 9

Through decay from not rehearsing enough or displacement when capacity of items reaches the max.

Question 10

How does information move back and forth between short term memory and long term memory?

Answer 10

Transferring info from the STM into the LTM and retrieving info from the LTM into the STM

Question 11

Using an example, briefly summarise Miller’s (1956) theory of ‘chunking’.

Answer 11

More information can be recalled by grouping similar items together to reduce a larger capacity down to smaller groups, such as splitting an 11 digit phone number into 3 sections.

Question 12

State the capacity, duration, and type of encoding for the long term memory.

Answer 12

Capacity = unlimited
Duration = infinite
Encoding = semantic

Question 13

How is information lost in the long term memory?

Answer 13

Through decay of not being retrieved enough to rehearse or if there is retrieval/transfer failure.

Question 14

What is the ‘tip-on-the-tongue’ phenomenon and who proposed it?

Answer 14

Brown and McNeill (1966) described this concept as not being able to fully recall a memory but knowing different aspects of it.

Question 15

How does the ‘tip-on-the-tongue- phenomenon relate to long term memory?

Answer 15

It suggests that there are multiple traces of a single memory fragmented into different aspects of the whole.

Question 16

Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate 2 ‘evidence’ points.

Answer 16

P - Research from Clive Wearing’s case study supports
E - He suffers from retrograde amnesia and can’t form new long term memories
E - This supports the existence of separate stores
P - Peterson and Peterson (1959) supports
E - Ppts were told to remember nonsense trigrams (e.g. BNV) and they found that after 3 seconds 80% of trigrams were recalled but after 18 seconds less than 10% were recalled
E - Therefore this supports the existence of rehearsal aiding memory during the 3 seconds and the process of decay after an extended period at 18 seconds

Question 17

Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate two ‘how’ points.

Answer 17

P - Peterson and Peterson (1959) has low task validity
E - They used nonsense trigrams (e.g. BNV) to reflect memory
E - This lacks mundane realism as does not represent how memory works in the real world, such as remembering to put the bins out
P - Peterson and Peterson (1959) has high reliability
E - They used a standardised procedure of showing ppts the same nonsense trigrams (e.g. BNV) and testing them after 3 seconds and again at 18 seconds
E - Therefore this is easy to replicate and compare due to quantitative data

Question 18

Are there any applications?

Answer 18

P - Yes
E - The model emphasises the importance of rehearsal in forming new LTM and revisiting old memories to make them less likely to decay
E - Therefore the advice for students would be to keep revisiting info so it doesn’t decay

Question 19

Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate a ‘credibility’ point.

Answer 19

P - MSM is too simplistic
E - It reduces memory down to 3 components with little detail on the complex functions and processes of each and doesn’t account for when rehearsal is not needed to form a new LTM
E - Therefore the explanation of memory as a whole is not sufficient enough and so reduces credibility