Memory: Multi-Store Model Flashcards
What is a Multi-Store Model?
A model that explains how the internal mental process of memory works. It proposes the information received by the environment, processed by a sequential series of memory stores.
What is Coding? Eg?
Refers to the format of information that can be held in a memory store.
Eg. Visual, acoustic or semantic.
What is Capacity?
Refers to the quantity of information that can be stored in a memory store.
What is Duration?
This refers to the length of information that can be stored within a memory store.
What is the purpose of the Sensory Register? What are the different parts of it?
This automatically stores information received by the senses.
1. Iconic store= stores information visually
2. Echoic store= stores information acoustically
3. The coding for the other sub-stores depend on the relevant sense to receive information.
How long does it take for information to be lost in the Iconic store?
Half a second
How is information received by the Short term memory?
Information is only received into the STM if a person directs their attention towards it. The coding for the STM is usually acoustic.
What is the capacity of the Sensory register?
Capacity varies but I’d generally very large, it can include everything in a persons memory.
What is the capacity of the Short Term Memory?
The capacity of the STM is larger than the sensory register but smaller than the long term memory. The capacity of the STM store can be increased if a person engages in chunking (grouping items of information together to represent a single item) or if the person engages in maintenance rehearsal (repeating information over and over in one’s head).
How long does information stay in the Short Term Memory?
No longer than 30 seconds but usually 20 seconds.
How is information received in the Long Term Memory?
Information is adequately rehearsed in the STM store (using maintenance rehearsal) will eventually pass to the LTM store.
What coding is used in LTM?
Semantic coding (meaning information is coded in regards to its meaning).
What is the Capacity of the Long term memory?
The exact capacity isn’t know but it’s extremely large. Although information can be lost, forgetting may relate more to issues of retrieving information.
What research is there for the multi store model?
Baddeley found that participants made more errors when recalling acoustically similar words if they were tested immediately, but more errors with semantically similar words if they were tested after 20 minutes. These findings supports MSM as they provide evidence that short term memory codes differently from long term memory. The fact that different types of errors were made — semantic for LTM and acoustic for STM suggests information is being coded differently. This provides evidence that there are different memory stores for STM and LTM.
Why is a limitation of the Multi-store model of memory that its supporting research lacks ecological validity?
Baddeleys research on coding required participants to learn random lists of words in a controlled environment. This isn’t an accurate representation of real life scenarios, meaning studying behaviour in an artificial setting may lead to participants to behave unnaturally. Thus, findings may not be generalisable to the real world,
