Memory – Multi Store Memory Model Flashcards
Give an overview of the MSM
- The MSM was the first model of memory and is therefore very influential.
- It suggests three separate stores, each differing in coding capacity and duration.
- it is a linear and sequential model.
- information passes from store to store if certain conditions are met.
- Established by Atkinson & Shiffrin.
(There are separate sensory stores to accommodate different kinds of input) what are the stores and what are they for?
Ionic store: where visual images are kept for a short period.
Echoic store: auditory senses are kept for a short period.
Haptic store: in sensory memory retains physical senses of touch and internal muscle tension.
How does information go from the sensory register to the STM?
Attention
How does information go from the the STM to the LTM?
Maintenance rehearsal.
Give a strength of the MSM.
There is case study evidence - HM’s LTM was damaged he would do something then forget he had done it - despite the damage to his LTM his STM was still intact. He often performed well on tests of immediate digit span, a test of the STM.
Give a strength of the MSM (supportive evidence)
Supportive evidence from brain scans that the LTM and STM are distinct stores - Beardsley (1997) found that the prefrontal cortex is active during STM but not during LTM tasks. Squire found the hippocampus is active when the LTM is engaged - providing evidence there is more than one store as different parts of the brain is active when different types of memory is used - increases the validity of the theory.
What is an alternative explanation to the LTM?
Levels of processing:
- Craik and Lockhart (1972) gave ppts a list of words and asked a question which involved shallow or deep processing e.g. shallow – whether the word was printed in capitals, deep – whether the word fitted in with the sentence. They found p’s remembered more words when they were processed more deeply. They argued that elaborate rehearsal is more important that the maintenance rehearsal.
What is a limitation of the MSM?
Researchers argue there is an over-emphasis the role of maintenance rehearsal suggesting elaborative rehearsal is more important than - Craig and Lockhart levels of processing, they found ppts remembered more words when they were processed more deeply - questions concept of maintenance rehearsal of MSM - validity of model.
