Memory- The Multi-store Model Of Memory Flashcards
Multi-store model (MSM) -
A representation of how memory works in terms of three stores called 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.
Sensory register -
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 the multi-store model (MSM) of memory?
The multi-store model, proposed by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin (1968, 1971), describes how information flows through the memory system, consisting of three stores (sensory register, short-term memory, and long-term memory) linked by processing.
What is the sensory register in the MSM?
The sensory register is the initial store where stimuli from the environment (e.g., sights, sounds, smells) are briefly held. It includes separate stores for each sense, such as iconic memory (visual information) and echoic memory (auditory information).
What are the characteristics of the sensory register?
The sensory register has a high capacity but a very brief duration (less than half a second). Only information that is paid attention to passes further into the memory system.
What is short-term memory (STM) in the MSM?
Short-term memory is a limited-capacity store that can hold between 5 and 9 items of information for about 30 seconds unless rehearsed. Information in STM is coded acoustically.
What is maintenance rehearsal?
Maintenance rehearsal is the process of repeating information to keep it in STM. Prolonged rehearsal can transfer information to long-term memory (LTM).
What is long-term memory (LTM) in the MSM?
Long-term memory is a potentially permanent store with unlimited capacity and duration. Information in LTM is coded semantically (by meaning) and must be retrieved back into STM for recall.
What is retrieval in the MSM?
Retrieval is the process of transferring information from LTM back into STM to recall it. According to the MSM, no memories are recalled directly from LTM.
What research supports the MSM?
Research by Baddeley shows that STM and LTM are qualitatively different: STM uses acoustic coding, while LTM uses semantic coding. Studies on coding, capacity, and duration also support the MSM.
What is a limitation of the MSM regarding STM?
The MSM assumes STM is a unitary store, but evidence from amnesia patients (e.g., KF) shows there are separate STM stores for visual and auditory information, which the MSM cannot explain.
What is a limitation of the MSM regarding rehearsal?
The MSM suggests that the amount of rehearsal determines transfer to LTM, but Craik and Watkins (1973) found that the type of rehearsal matters. Maintenance rehearsal maintains information in STM, while elaborative rehearsal (linking information to existing knowledge) is needed for long-term storage.
What is a limitation of the MSM regarding LTM?
The MSM treats LTM as a unitary store, but research shows there are different types of LTM (e.g., memory for facts vs. skills), which the MSM cannot explain.
What is a limitation of the MSM regarding artificial materials?
Many studies supporting the MSM used artificial materials like digits, letters, and consonant syllables, which lack ecological validity compared to real-life memories (e.g., faces, names, facts).
What is iconic memory?
Iconic memory is the sensory register for visual information, which is coded visually and lasts less than half a second.
What is echoic memory?
Echoic memory is the sensory register for auditory information, which is coded acoustically and lasts less than half a second.
What is the capacity of STM?
The capacity of STM is between 5 and 9 items of information, often referred to as the “magic number 7 ± 2.”
What is the duration of STM without rehearsal?
Without rehearsal, information in STM lasts about 30 seconds.
What is the duration of LTM?
LTM can store information for very many years, potentially permanently.
What is the coding of STM?
Information in STM is coded acoustically (by sound).
What is the coding of LTM?
Information in LTM is coded semantically (by meaning).
What evidence challenges the unitary nature of STM?
Studies of amnesia patients, such as KF, show that STM is not unitary. KF had poor auditory recall but better visual recall, suggesting separate STM stores for different types of information.
What is elaborative rehearsal?
Elaborative rehearsal involves linking new information to existing knowledge or thinking about its meaning, which is necessary for long-term storage.
Why is the MSM limited in explaining real-life memory?
The MSM oversimplifies memory by not accounting for different types of STM and LTM, the role of elaborative rehearsal, and the use of artificial materials in supporting research.
