Multi-store memory model Flashcards
Who proposed the Multi-store model?
Atkinson and Schiffrin (1968)
What are the key features of this model?
-Memory is seen as a flow of information through a system
- System is divided into set of stanges and information passes through each stage in a fixed sequence
-External stimuli from the environment first enters the sensory memory where they can be registered fpr very breif periods berfore decaying or being passed ontothe LTM.
- STM-
Contains small amounts of information that’s only actively in use one at a time.
-Acoustic encoding
In STM, memory traces are fragile and can be lost within 30 seconds through displacement or decay unless rehearsed
LTM-
- Rehearsed information is passed onto LTM store where it remains for lifetime
- Loss can occur through decay ,retrieval failure or interference
-Semantic coding
Explain the strengths of multi-store model?
- Influential and still found useful by psychologists
- It distinguishes between the STM and LTM store in terms of capacity,encoding and duration
- .Model accounts for recency and primacy effects
- Supported by studies of amnesiacs
Name and explain a case study that supports MSM which distinct STM and LTM
Milner (1965)
- Studied a man known as H.M who was left with severe memory impairment after brain surgery.
- Has marked problems in long-term memory after brain surgery. He has remembered little of personal or public events that’s occurred over the last 45 years. However his short-term memory remains intact.
What case study investogated primacy and recency effects
Murdock (1962)
Explain Murdock (1962) case study
- He gave PPs a list of words and had to recall it in any order order (free recall task)
- Murdock found that the words at the beginning and the end of list were recalled better than those in middle.
- Words at beginning (primacy effect) - recalled better bcos rehearsed constantly and been transferred to LTM
- Words at the end of list (recency effect) are recalled bcos still in STM.
What research study investigated the evidence for extistence of seperate STM and LTM stores
Glanzer and Cunitz (1966)
Explain Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) research study
The gave PPs a list of words and then asked to recall in any order (free recall)
Two groups of PPs
-Intermediate recall-PPs recalled words immediately after it was given
-Delayed recall-PPs counted back from 30 before words were recalled
Findings
-Immediate group recalled first and last words best
-Both groups had difficultly recalled words in middle.
What did Glanzer and Cunitz conclude?
- Both groups easily remembered words from the beginning of lost bcos already stored in LTM.
- But words at end of list was still stored in STM.
- When recall was delayed by distraction task PPs were unable to rehearse words in STM thus nor kept in STM or passed onto LTM hence forgotten
- Findings support the idea of separate memory store by showing delayed recall interfered with STM and caused recency effect to disappear but no effect on LTM store and primacy effect was unaltered.
Explain the weaknesses of multi-store model?
- Over-simplistic- MSM is too simplistic and inflexible to explain the entire memory system
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) different types of STM and LTM
-Fails to take account of factors (eg: strategies) that people use to remember things.
-Doesn’t take into account that some things are easier to remember than others
-Over emphasises the linear (one way) direction of MSM
-There’s a two way flow of info between STM and LTM
MORRIS ET AL (1985)
-Over emhasises the amount of information
COHEN (1990)
-Rehearsal doesnt ensure transfer from STM to LTM.
BEKERIAN AND BADDELEY (1980)
Bekerian and Baddeley research study?
Found people didn’t know of the changes to BBC radio wavelength despite hearing info on average over 1000 times.
Suggests thst rehearsal isn’t the only factor in the transfer of info from STM to LTM
Morris and al (1985) research study?
Showed hoe previous knowledge and interest in football could help recall football scores.
PPs listened to a false football results then had to immediately recall them/
-PP’s who were interested in football recalled the most
-Hence suggesting they used their greater knowledge of football (LTM) to impose meaning of results (STM)
-Therefore info flows from LTM to STM
Cohen (1990) research study?
Argued that memory capacity cannot be measured just depending on the amount of information recalled but instead the nature of the information that is to be recalled.
- Some things are easier to recall than others.
- MSM doesn’t take this into account.
