Memory: The Multi-Store Model

Question 1

Who developed the Multi-Store model?

Answer 1

Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

Question 2

What is the Model of the MSM?

Answer 2

Evironmental stimuli —> Sensory Memory (SM) —> STM —> elaborate rehearsal —> LTM

LTM also goes back to STM through retrieval.
Memories can also stay in STM through maintenance rehearsal
Memories can come out of the STM through information retrieval

Question 3

How can forgetting occur within the MSM?

Answer 3

• the STM has a capacity of 7 +/- 2 units of info. If this becomes full, info will be displaced (which will lead to forgetting)
• the STM has a limited duration before it needs to be transferred to the LTM. If this time runs out then the info will decay (leading to forgetting)

Question 4

What are the sensory stores?

Answer 4

• Iconic store for visual input (what we see)
• Echoic store for auditory input (what we hear)
• Haptic store for tactile input (what we feel/touch)

Question 5

What are the purposes of the sensory stores?

Answer 5

• Baddeley states the purpose of the visual store is to allow us to integrate visual info so we experience a smooth continuous visual experience - like a cartoon
• we have to hold in our sensory memory info from one image during the few milliseconds it takes before the next image is presented
• another possible function is to sift through huge amounts of incoming sensory info in order to avoid overloading the system.
• the sensory memory holds an image for a few seconds while it is scanned to decide which ones should be given attention and passed on through the system for further processing

Question 6

Who provided evidence to support the sensory store?

Answer 6

Sperling (1960) supported the existence of the sensory store. Used a grid of letters and found ptps could only recall 4-5 letters of the whole table of 12 (42%) yet if asked to only recall one row, could recall on average 3 items (75%)
- this suggests that sensory memory cannot hold info for long and info decays rapidly in the sensory store - supports existence of the sensory store.

Question 7

What is the evaluation for spellings study?

Answer 7

+ Reliable (high level of control, easily replicated)
- lacking in ecological validity
- ethical issues limited through right to withdraw and debrief important

Question 8

What did Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) find?

Answer 8

Demonstrated the serial position effect, which shows STM and LTM are in different stores. When a series of words are shown, the primary effect means the first words are rehearsed and transferred into LTM and the recency effect means the last words seen are in the STM. Middle words are forgotten.

Question 9

What’s more support that the LTM and STM are separate things?

Answer 9

PET and fMRI take images of the active brain when people are doing particular tasks
- Prefrontal cortex active when working on a task in STM (Beardsley 1997)
- Hippocampus active when long term memory is engaged (Squire et al 1992)

Question 10

What is the Case of HM?

Answer 10

• HM suffered from epilepsy and underwent brain surgery to remove part of his temporal lobes and hippocampus.
• this left him with severe memory deficits, although his IQ remained above average
• could not form new long term memories
• suggests hippocampus may function as a memory gateway- new memories must pass through before entering permanent storage.
• shows there’s two different stores as STM was fine

Question 11

What was the case of KF?

Answer 11

• suffered brain injuries after a motorcycle accident
  Intact LTM - was able to learn new info and recall stored info
  STM affected - recency effect of only one item
• had trouble with verbal STM but not visual STM.
  —> this suggests the single STM store proposed in the MSM doesn’t reflect the complexity of STM - it must be more complicated if KF could cope with visual but not verbal info.

Question 12

What would be a good AO1 of the MSM for a 16 marker?

Answer 12

The MSM is a structure of memory. It has 3 unitary stores; encoding, duration and capacity. Research suggests STM codes acoustically, has a duration of 18 seconds and capacity of 7 (+/- 2) items. LTM codes semantically, a duration of many years and potentially unlimited capacity. Info passes through the stores in a linear way. Environmental stimuli arrives at the sensory register and if attention is paid to it then info will transfer to the STM - info will decay rapidly if not paid attention to. Rehearsing the info in the STM then transfers it to the LTM, if not rehearsed then it may be forgotten in the STM. You can retrieve the info at a later date, taking it from your LTM to STM. Forgetting in the LTM is often due to interference from other memories or retrieval failure.