Multi-store model (Milner and Glanzer & Cunitz)

Question 1

Introduction (Memory is a cognitive process used to store, encode and retrieve information. The Multi Store Model by Atkinson and Shiffrin proposes that memory consists of…)

Answer 1

• Consist of 3 components (Sensory, Short-term, Long-term)
• Each has duration and capacity, and information passes through the memory stores once conditions have been met
• Sensory detect info -> short term or lost, limited by perception, everything received by senses
• Short term -> holding small amt of information for short time, 7+- 2 seconds
• Rehearsal -> Long term -> holding large amts of info, duration is infinite

Question 2

Milner (STUDY)

Answer 2

A- Case study to study the role of the hippocampus on memory formation and biological reason for anterograde amnesia in HM

P- Accident, tissue from temporal lobe removed along with hippocampus removed to cure epilepsy but he was unable to form new memories

Personality didn’t seem to change, but anterograde amnesia (unable to recognise faces after operation)

IQ testing, cognitive testing (memory recall tests)

F: HM could not acquire new episode knowledge (events) and not retain in long-term memory. Had capacity for working memory as he could carry out conversation

STRENGTH: Longitudinal

LIMITATION: not replicable, other researchers can’t get the same results as the study unless you find someone who went through the same damage. High ecological validity (generalisation to real life settings, patient was in a real life setting) and ethical standards.

LINK: Support for MSM as it explains different parts of the brain reliable for multiple stores of memory (requires encoding, storage, and retrieval), one area damage did not affect the other (HM damaged LTM but not STM (Hippocampus converts memories of experiences from STM to LTM)

Question 3

Glanzer and Cunitz Aim

Answer 3

To investigate the recency effect → (items that came last are remembered clearer than those who came first) in free recall. Demonstrated that the U-shape of the serial position curve (which words are stored and retrieved best under two different retrieval conditions) suggests that there are two separate stores for STM and LTM

Question 4

Glanzer and Cunitz Method

Answer 4

Participants heard a list of items and asked to recall in an order

Question 5

Glanzer and Cunitz Findings

Answer 5

Participants recalled words from the beginning (primacy effect and the end of the list (recency effect) best

A filler task after hearing the last words erased the RECENCY EFFECT, but the primacy effect remained – rehearsal was inhibited (shows that rehearsal must occur to transfer info from STM to LTM)

The recency effect means words are still active within the STM (working memory) and rehearsal could have occurred from the beginning list of items to transfer info into LTM

Question 6

Glanzer and Cunitz link to MSM

Answer 6

Since the multi-store model of memory suggests that different stages of memory (i.e. sensory store, short-term, and long-term) are classified according to their duration, of which short-term memory is around 30 seconds, the results imply that if rehearsal is inhibited by a distraction task, STM cannot become LTM. The short-term memory fills up with the distractions of the delay intervals, making it difficult for the brain to consider the terms/words that appear later in the list (supports the serial postion curve)

Question 7

Glanzer and Cunitz Strengths

Answer 7

• C+E relationship
• high internal validity

Question 8

Glanzer and Cunitz weaknesses

Answer 8

• Low ecological validity

Question 9

Multi-store Model conclusion

Answer 9

• Milner (three separate stores that function separately)
• Glanzer and Cunitz (three separate stores classified due to duration, evident through the primacy effect → encoding can only occur through rehearsal to transfer info from STM to LTM) and recency effect → last items in STM can be recalled)