Memory: Multi-Store Model of Memory Flashcards
Who came up with the MSM?
Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)
What are the main component parts of the MSM?
- Sensory Register
- STM
- LTM
According the MSM how is information transferred from STM to LTM?
Rehearsal
What is the duration and capacity of the STM?
Duration = 15-30 seconds
Capacity = 5-9 items
What kind of model is MSM?
It is a linear input-process-output model.
How is information passed from sensory register to STM?
By paying ATTENTION to it.
Describe the sensory register
It acquires information from the world around the individual (the senses).
The information is encoded in whatever format the information is received.
E.g, visual in the iconic store or acoustic in the echoic store.
Define ‘encoding’
Transforming sensory experience into a form that can be held by the memory system.
Define ‘capacity’
The amount of information that can be stored by the memory system.
What is the capacity and duration of LTM?
Unlimited for both
Who provided evidence for a potentially unlimited LTM?
Harry Bahrick (1975)
He found that many participants in his study could recognise names/faces of schoolmates almost 50 years on.
Why do psychologists think that the human memory is similar to that of a computer?
Information processing
Information flows through a memory system in a similar way to what it would in a computer.
E.g. there is an input, storage and retrieval.
Which case study can be used to support the MSM and the idea of it having separate STM and LTM stores?
The case of HM - he had a functioning STM but could not make new long term memories.
Who provided supporting evidence that the STM is limited?
Peterson and Peterson (1959)
What is a further weakness of MSM with regards to the information processing analogy?
Describing memory as an input-process-output system is over simplistic and ignores individual differences in memory.
