msm Flashcards
background on msm
- made by Atkinson and Shiffrin
- suggested that the way the human brain processes information is similar to a computer
- like a computer information is processed (when sensory info is operated on) then information is stored (retained) and finally retrieved (recalled)
- When we unconsciously or deliberately choose to store sensory info it needs encoding.
sensory register
- information enters via sensory input into the sensory register, where there is one register for each sensory modality (visual, auditory, haptic, olfactory, gustatory)
- short and limited duration
- large capacity (over 100 million cells in each eye storing information)
- information is retrieved by scanning
- If information is left unattended it decays
- if attention is paid it passes on to the STM.
STM
- information encoded in auditory form
- info held for 15-30 seconds before it is lost if not rehearsed
- info is retrieved by sequential search
- if the information is rehearsed it can be passed onto the LTM
LTM
- memories and ideas are formed into schemas (packages of information) to allow you to encode information.
- duration could potentially last a lifetime
- capacity is potentially limitless.
- information can be retrieved semantically or temporally, meaning you think back to when you stored it and what you stored it with.
Describe the multi-store model of memory (4) - AO1
2 MINI FACTS PER MARK
Information enters via sensory input into the sensory register, where there is one register for each sensory modality. If the information is left unattended it decays, however if attention is paid it passes on to the STM, where it is held for 15 - 30 seconds, before it is lost if not rehearsed. If the information is rehearsed it can be passed onto the LTM where the duration could potentially last a lifetime and the capacity is potentially limitless.
give 2 strengths of the msm
One strength of the msm is that it shows rehearsing information can help you encode it into the LTM. For example, research shows that the capacity of STM can be increased through a process called ‘chunking’. This is where you recall small bits of information at a time rather than trying to remember it all at once and by rehearsal it will enter your LTM. Therefore, supporting the MSM as it proves that miller’s magic number 7 is the capacity of the STM.
Another strength of the msm is that there is experimental support for the idea that STM and LTM encode differently. Baddeley found that we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using STM, but we mix up words that have similar meaning when using LTM. Therefore, acoustically similar words are harder to recall as they get mixed up in our memory due to sounding similar. This shows that STM is encoded in auditory form, whereas LTM is encoded in semantic form.
give 2 weaknesses of the msm
Opposing study from Shallice and Warrington. They studied patient KF whose STM for digits was poor when they were read aloud to him. But his recall was better when he read them himself. This shows that hearing things out loud do not encode information into the STM but visual representation can. Therefore, STM may not be encoded acoustically but through a visual perspective, meaning the msm is incorrect about how STM is encoded.
The MSM is a machine reductionist explanation of human memory. It shows that memory is the result of units of activity in information processing systems, such as memory stores. Therefore, the MSM is a narrow explanation of how humans encode information. A better explanation would be the wmm, which shows that STM has multiple stores and not just one.
application
High application to society as it helps people with dementia or brain damage. If patients struggle to rehearse new information to make it enter the LTM, they can write things down and put labels on them. In addition, colour coding buttons on phones or remotes will also help. Therefore, the MSM can help patients that struggle to remember things and improve their quality of life.
