Models of Memory

Question 1

Describe the multi-store model

Answer 1

Sensory input enters the sensory register
This is when spontaneous decay occurs
If attention is paid into the input, it enters into the STM
This is where we first forget the information
If we rehearse the information, it can either stay in the STM or make it’s way into the LTM
Forgetting can also take place here

Question 2

What supports the Multi-store model?

Answer 2

1. The Primary Effect
2. The Recency Effect
3. Korsakoff’s syndrome
4. Milner et al HM study

Question 3

What is the primary effect?

Answer 3

When information from the start of a list is easier to recall as they have been rehearsed better and therefore transferred to LTM

Question 4

What is the recency effect?

Answer 4

When information from the end of a list is easier to recall as the STM has a capacity of around 7, meaning the information from the middle of the list has been displaced with the ones at the end. Because they are able to be held in the STM, they can be recalled.

Question 5

What is korsakoff’s syndrome?

Question 6

What is the Milner et al study on patient HM?

Question 7

What are the two limitations to the Multi-store model?

Answer 7

• In the model information is taken from STM to LTM but in real life people don’t always spend time rehearsing, yet information is still transferred into the LTM.
  So, rehearsal is not always needed and some items can’t be rehearsed (e.g smells)
• Oversimplified, assuming only one LTM and STM. The idea of one LTM and STM has been disproved by brain damages patients.

Question 8

What is the Braddely and Hitch (1974) Working Memory Model

Answer 8

Central executive can be described as attention, it has limited capacity and controls ‘slave’ systems which also have limited capacity.
Below you have:
- The phonological loop - holds speech-based information and is made up of the phonological store (inner ear) and the articulatory process (inner voice which rehearses information by repeating it)
- Visuo-spatial sketchpad - holds temporary visual + spatial information
- Episodic buffer - stores info from other subsystems and integrates it together to make complete scenes or ‘episodes

Question 9

What experimental evidence did Braddely and Hitch base their theory on?

Answer 9

‘interference tasks’:

• If participants asked to perform two tasks simultaneously that use the same system, their performance will be affected because they have limited capacity
• However, if the two tasks involve different systems, performance isn’t affected on either task

Question 10

Shallice and Warrington support for WMM

Answer 10

KF = brain-damaged patient who struggled with the immediate recall of words verbally but not with visual information = impaired articulatory loop but intact visuo-spatial sketchpad
-> could not have been explained with MSM because it suggest STM is all one system

Question 11

Garthercole and Baddeley (1993) support for WMM ()

Question 12

3 weaknesses of working memory model

Answer 12

1. idea of central executive simplistic and vague
2. doesn’t explain how information is transferred into LTM
3. most of the research has been lab studies