MSM

Question 1

What is the Multi-store model (MSM)?

Answer 1

Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968):
A cognitive model that shows how information is processed through the memory system through 3 stores; the sensory register, STM, and LTM.

Question 2

What happens in the Sensory register?

Answer 2

A stimulus from the environment is transferred to the sensory register. This part of memory has two main stores, the iconic store ( visual information coded visually) and the echoic store ( sound/auditory information is coded acoustically). The sensory register has a duration of half a second and a high capacity. Very little information passes on to the next store from the sensory register unless you pay attention. The key process is attention.

Question 3

What happens in the Short term memory (STM)?

Answer 3

It is known as the limited capacity store because it can only contain a certain number of ‘things’ (7 +/- 2). Information in the STM is coded acoustically and it has a duration of around 30 seconds, unless it is rehearsed. Maintenence rehearsal is when we repeat material to ourselves over and over again. Information remains in the STM as long as it is rehearsed and if we rehears it long enough, it passes into LTM.

Question 4

What happens in the Long term memory (LTM)?

Answer 4

It is considered the permanent memory store for information that has been rehearsed for a prolonged time. It has an unlimited capacity and duration that lasts a lifetime. Information in LTM is coded semantically. When we want to recall material from the LTM, it is transferred back to the STM through a process called retrieval. According to the MSM, this is true for all our memories, none are recalled directly from LTM.

Question 5

(AO3) What is the strength of the MSM?

Answer 5

Research support :

• Baddeley (1966) - found that we tend to mix up words that sound the same when using our STM but mix up words that have a similar meaning when we use our LTM. This is a strength as it clearly shows that coding in the STM is acoustic and coding in the LTM is semantic. This study shows that STM and LTM are separate and independent memory stores, as shown in the MSM.

Question 6

(AO3) What is a weakness of the MSM?
(1)

Answer 6

More than one STM store:

-The MSM states that there is only one type of STM but clinical research from amnesia patients shows this cannot be true.
- Shallice & Warrington (1970) - studied an amnesia patient known as KF. They found that KF’s STM for digits was very poor when read aloud but recall was much better when he read the digits himself. Further studies show that there could be another STM store for non-verbal sounds. This is a limitation of the MSM because research shows that there must be one STM store to process visual information and another to process auditory information.

Question 7

(AO3) What is a weakness of the MSM?
(2)

Answer 7

Elaborative rehearsal:

• According to the MSM, prolonged rehearsal is the most vital part of transferring information to the LTM.
• But, Craik & Watkins (1973) found that what really matters about rehearsal is the type. Elaborative rehearsal, when you link the information to your pre-existing knowledge, is needed for long term storage, rather than prolonged rehearsal which just maintains information in the STM. This is a limitation as it is another research finding that cannot be explained by the MSM.