Models Of Memory

Question 1

What is the multi store model?

Answer 1

The first cognitive model of memory that explains how information flows through a series of storage systems and has three permanent structures

Question 2

What are the three structures of the MSM?

Answer 2

• sensory register
• short term memory
• long term memory

Question 3

How does information flow through the MSM?

Answer 3

Information is taken from the ENVIROMENT, imputed into the SENSORY STORE, by ATTENTION to the SHORT TERM MEMORY, and then REHEARSED into the LONG TERM MEMORY

Question 4

What is the capacity of the sensory store?

Answer 4

Very large

Question 5

What study showed that the capacity of the sensory models was very large?

Answer 5

Sperling conducted a study, letters were displayed for 50 milliseconds followed by a cue to inform the participant which row should be recalled.

On average the participants recalled 3 out of the 4 letters in each row, as participants did not know which row would be recalled, we can assume that all information was available for a brief period of time.

Question 6

What is the duration of the sensory memory?

Answer 6

Less than half a second, very brief periods of time

Question 7

What is the coding for the sensory memory?

Answer 7

Sense organ specific, seeing, touch, hearing taste and smell

Question 8

What is the capacity of the short term memory?

Answer 8

Limited capacity of 7+/- 2 items

Question 9

What is the duration of the short term memory?

Answer 9

(18-30 sec)

Question 10

What study proves the duration of the short term memory?

Answer 10

Peterson & Peterson tested the duration when rehearsal was prevented.

24 students were tested over 8 trials. In each trial, puts were presented with consonant syllable trigrams to rember and a 3 digit number

They were asked to count backwards from their 3 digit number to prevent rehearsal.

80% of trigrams were recalled after 3 secs, but less than 10% of trigrams were recalled after 18 secs

Question 11

What is the coding to the short term memory?

Answer 11

acoustic, based on the sound of the words

Question 12

What is the capacity of the long term memory?

Answer 12

• large capacity

Question 13

What is the duration of the long term memory?

Answer 13

Can retain information for many years, once stored information is relatively permanent

Question 14

What is the coding of long term memory?

Answer 14

It codes semantically

Question 15

What study is the evidence for coding in the long term memory?

Answer 15

Baddeley investigated the coding of words, pots were presented with lists of words. Some words sounded the same but has a different meaning (hat,cat,rat) and some words sounded different but had similar meaning (great, large, big). Ppts were asked to recall the words in the correct order after a 20 minute delay and performed worse with semantically similar words

Question 16

What is the primacy recency affect?

Answer 16

A study by Murdock lists 20 words and ppts were asked to recalls many as possible. Words at the beginning of the list and end of the list were remembered more than those in the middle. When plotting a graph this shows serial position curve.

Question 17

What is an evaluation point but also a criticism of the multi store model

Answer 17

The model heavily relies on laboratory experiments, which may lack mundane realism. Because it depends on artificially collected evidence, such as studies by Sperling, Baddeley, and Murdock, it could be argued that the model may only be valid for behavior observed in a laboratory setting. This limitation stems from the reliance on research evidence.

Question 18

What is an evaluation point but also a criticism of the multi store model that it is too simplistic

Answer 18

It is too simplistic to suggest that STM and LTM work as separate unitary stores. Research indicates that there are several types of STM such as one for verbal and one for non verbal. The case study of KF, found that due to brain damage in a motor cycle accident, KF and poor memory for verbal material in STM, but him memory for visual material was more or less normal. This suggests that the STM is not a single store and that the working memory models offers a more active model.

Question 19

What is another evaluation point but also a criticism of the multi store model that it is too simplistic

Answer 19

it is too simplistic to suggest that all types of information are stored in the same way in the LTM. Memory for how to play a video game and how to do a maths calculation are very different. The MSM does not account for qualitative differences in information, it only focuses on the quantity of information.