Multi store model Flashcards
What is the multi store model of memory?
Model that makes a distinction between the separate stores of the sensory register, STM & LTM
How does information enter the sensory register
Information reaches our senses from the environment and enters the sensory register where it registers for only very brief periods
How does information from the sensory register pass to the STM
- some info is picked up by the proceed attention and passes to the STM
How can info be kept in the STM
maintenance rehearsal
How can info be kept in the LTM
Elaborative rehearsal
- by thinking about the meaning of the information in the STM info becomes coded semantically and passed to LTM
What are the key claims of the multi store model?
- each store is unitary > no separate parts
- each store is separate others >
How do we know that each store is separate
their features are different in terms of capacity, duration, and coding.
Suggests that one store can be damaged when the other is not.
What is coding
The way information is changed so that it can be stored in memory
What is capacity?
The amount of information a store can hold at any one time
What is duration
The length of time information can be held in memory
What is the capacity of the sensory register
very large
what is the coding of the sensory register
stored in an unprocessed form.
There are separate sensory stores for the different sensory inputs.
If you pay attention to the information, then it goes through to the STM. If you don’t pay attention to it then it fades, and we call this trace decay.
What is the duration of the sensory register
limited
What is the sensory register?
memory store for each of our five senses
- enables you to remember sensory stimuli after your exposure to the stimuli has ended
What are the two main stores of the sensory register
The iconic store - visual information
The echoic store-auditory information
What are other stores of the sensory register
Haptic - feel
Gustatory - taste
Olfactory - smell
What was the aim of Stirlings study
investigate the capacity and duration of the sensory register
What was the method of Spirlings study
Ppts were flashed 3x4 grid of letters on a screen for 50 milliseconds.
Ppts had to recall as many letters as they could remember.
Then ppts recalled single rows of letters when particular tones were heard (high tone, for top row, medium for middle row etc)
What were the results of Sperlings study
When asked to recall as many letters as they could, participants could remember approx. 4 letters.
When participants were asked to recall single rows they recalled on average 3 items. However, the items decayed rapidly
What was the conclusion of Sperlings study
The capacity of the sensory register is a minimum 4 items, and the duration is between 250 to 500 milliseconds
Image of each item fades during the 50ms and the time it takes to report back recalled items so therefore it could be much larger than 4 items
What is a strength of Spirlings study
High control
What is a limitation of Spirlings study
Low ecological validity
Evaluate high control as a strength of Spirling’s study
(P) lab experiment therefore there was high control over extraneous variables
(E) all ppts had the same experience and were shown the same letters for the same amount of time and the all recieved the same standardised instructions
(E) strength because results are unlikely to be affected my confounding variables and have high internal validity
Evaluate low ecological validity as a limitation of Spirling’s study
(P) low ecological validity
(E) ppts were shown random letters in a lab and were asked to recall them. This does not reflect how we receive information in real life scenarios
(E) therefore findings may be difficult to generalise to how the sensory register works IRL
