memory: multi-store model Flashcards
what does the model present
A representation of how memory works in terms of three stores. It also describes how information is transferred from one store to another, how it is remembered and how it is forgotten.
Who proposed the model?
Atkinson and Shiffrin
what enters the sensory register
environmental stimuli
What are the two main stores of the sensory register?
- Iconic memory (visually)
- Echoic memory (acoustically)
Each store corresponds to one of our senses.
How long does visual information last in the sensory register?
About half a second.
How long does auditory information last in the sensory register?
About 2 seconds.
What is the capacity of the sensory register?
Very high capacity
What happens to most information in the sensory register?
Very little passes further into the memory system.
What must happen for information from the sensory register to move to short-term memory?
Attention must be paid to it.
What is decay in the context of memory?
The memory trace dies out if not attended to.
What are the features of short-term memory (STM)?
- Encoded mainly acoustically
- Lasts about **18-30 seconds **
- Limited capacity (5-9 items)
- Unless rehearsal takes place, forgetting occurs
What is maintenance rehearsal?
Repeating material to oneself over and over again.
How does info enter LTM
maintenance rehearsal > if it is not rehearsed it will decay
What causes displacement in short-term memory?
New information enters STM, pushing out original information.
What is the capacity and duration of long-term memory (LTM)?
(Potentially) unlimited.
What are some reasons information may be lost from long-term memory?
- Displacement
- Retrieval failure
- Interference
Information is not lost due to limited capacity in LTM.
What process must occur to recall information from long-term memory?
Retrieval.
Does the Multi-Store Model break down long-term memory into different types?
No, it does not specify different types of LTM.
AO3: contradicting research
there is research evidence which contradicts the model
The MSM states that there is only one store for STM. However, evidence suggests that at the very least there must be one STM store for visual information and one for auditory information.
Shalice and Warrington studied a patient with amnesia known as KF. They found that KF’s STM for digits was very poor when they read them out to them. But his recall was much better when he was able to read them to himself.
WEAKNESS of the MSM, because it suggests there must be at least two stores for STM: one for visual information processing and one for auditory information processing
AO3: more than one type of rehearsal
it contradicts alternative models of memory.
According to MSM, what matters in rehearsal if the amount of it that you do. So the more you rehearse
some information, the more you likely it will transfer into LTM and remember it for a long time.
However, Craik and Watkins found that this prediction is wrong. They believe that really matters is the type of rehearsal. They discovered that there are two types of rehearsal: maintenance and elaborate. They believe maintenance rehearsal does not transfer information into LTM, it just maintains it in STM. Instead elaborate rehearsal is needed for LTM storage. This occurs when you link the information to your existing knowledge or you think about the meaning.
WEAKNESS because the MSM cannot be used to explain the research findings of Craik and Watkins.
AO3: research to support
There is research to support the MSM
Baddeley found for STM, we confuse words that are acoustically similar. But for LTM we confuse words that are semantically similar
STRENGTH as this shows that STM and LTM are different and are separate, independent stores. As STM codes acoustically and LTM codes semantically.
COUNTER: But, in everyday life, we form memories related to meaningful things such as people faces, their names etc. Research ask participants to memorise digits, letters and sometimes words. This we must be caution when using Baddeley’s study to offer support for the MSM
