Memory - Multi Store Model Of Memory Flashcards
What is the multi-store model of memory (MSM)?
The MSM is a representation of how memory works in terms of three stores: sensory register, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). It also describes how information is transferred from one store to another, how it is remembered, and how it is forgotten.
What is the sensory register?
The sensory register is the memory stores for each of our five senses, such as vision (iconic store) and hearing (echoic store). Coding in the iconic sensory register is visual, and in the echoic sensory register, it is acoustic. The capacity of sensory registers is huge (millions of receptors), and information lasts for a very short time (less than half a second).
What is short-term memory (STM)?
STM is what is known as the limited-capacity store because it can only contain a certain number of ‘things’ before forgetting takes place. On average, the capacity of STM is between 5 and 9 items of information, though research suggests it might be more like 5 than 9. The information in STM is coded acoustically and lasts about 30 seconds unless it is rehearsed.
What is long-term memory (LTM)?
LTM is the permanent memory store for information that has been rehearsed for a prolonged time. Psychologists believe its capacity is unlimited, and it can last for many years. For example, Bahrick et al. (1975) found that many of their participants were able to recognise the names and faces of their classmates almost 50 years after graduating. LTM tends to be coded semantically.
What is one evaluation point about supporting research evidence for the MSM?
A major strength of the MSM is that it is supported by research studies that show that STM and LTM are indeed qualitatively different. For example, Baddeley (1966) found that we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using our STM but mix up words that have similar meanings when we use our LTM. The strength of this study is that it clearly shows that coding in STM is acoustic and in LTM it is semantic. So they are different, and this supports the MSM’s view that these two memory stores are separate and independent.
What is one evaluation point about the MSM being a unitary STM store?
The MSM states that STM is a unitary store; in other words, there is only one type of short-term memory. However, evidence from people suffering from a clinical condition called amnesia shows that this cannot be true. For example, Shallice and Warrington (1970) studied a patient with amnesia known as KF. They found that KF’s short-term memory for digits was very poor when they were read out loud to him, but his recall was much better when he was able to read the digits to himself.
What is one evaluation point about types of rehearsal in the MSM?
According to the MSM, what matters in rehearsal is the amount of it that you do. The more you rehearse information (the more you repeat it), the more likely you are to transfer it into LTM and remember it for a long time. However, Craik and Watkins (1973) found that this prediction is wrong. What really matters about rehearsal is the type. They discovered that there are two types of rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal is the type described in the MSM, but this does not transfer information into LTM. It just maintains it in STM. Hence the name. Elaborative rehearsal is needed for long-term storage. This occurs when you link the information to your existing knowledge, or you think about what it means. This is a very serious limitation of the MSM because it is another research finding that cannot be explained by the model.
What is one evaluation point about artificial materials in MSM research?
In everyday life, we form memories related to all sorts of useful things – people’s faces, their names, facts, places, and so on. But a lot of the research studies that provide support for the MSM used none of these things. Instead, they used digits, letters, and sometimes words. They even used what are known as consonant syllables that have no meaning (such as ZLG or THX). This means the MSM may not be a good explanation of how memory works in our everyday lives where we have to remember much more meaningful information.
