Multi Store Model of Memory

Question 1

What type of model is the MSM?

Answer 1

A structural model of memory.

Question 2

What are the 3 stores of the MSM?

Answer 2

Sensory register, long term store and short term store.

STM and LTM are unitary stores

Question 3

What are the processes involved in the MSM?

Answer 3

Describes the process in which info is transferred from one store to another.
Processes are attention and verbal rehearsal.
Suggests that info passes from store to store in a linear way.

Question 4

How is info initially revieved in the MSM?

Answer 4

By the sensory register.

Senses constantly revieve info and sensory memory allows us to retain an impression of a stimulus recieved by senses.

Question 5

When recieving a visual input, how long does the image remain with us for?

Answer 5

approximately 0.5 seconds in a relitavely unanalysed form.

After this any info that is not processed further is forgotten.

Question 6

What does modality specific mean?

Answer 6

the storage occurs within the sensory system that recieved the info. (iconic and echoic memeory store)

Question 7

Where does some of the info in the sensory store get passed on to?

Answer 7

The short term memory if the info is attended to - only some of the info is passed on to the stm sucessfully through attention which allows us to store the info long enough to be able to use it.

Question 8

How limited is the storage of STM?

Answer 8

has a limited capacity of 7 +/-2 and a duration of 18 seconds.

Question 9

What happens if the info in the sensory register is not attended to?

Answer 9

it will be forgotten

Question 10

Why is info held in the STM vulnerable?

Answer 10

It is vulnerable to disruption from internal/ external distractions which can lead to displacement.

Question 11

Where does the info in STM move to next?

Answer 11

LTM

Question 12

What is the capacity of the LTM store?

Answer 12

Unlimited

Question 13

How does the info from the STM move to the LTM?

Answer 13

Through rehearsal which is generally acoustic

Question 14

What happens if info is not rehearsed?

Answer 14

It will decay

Question 15

What did Attkinson and Schiffner find?

Answer 15

The more the info is rehearsed the more likely it is to be retained.

Question 16

What is a strength of the multi store model in terms of support for separate memory stores?

Answer 16

• psychological evidence that supports the idea of distinct separate memory stores.
• The different stores are associated with different parts of the brain
• Study of brain damage patient H.M.conducted by Scoville Milner.
• Reinforces this idea by finding that removing the hippocampus (Part of the brain associated with long-term memory) reduces seizures.
• however causes severe amnesia and difficulty creating new long-term memories.
• Study shows that H.M.we are still able to form short-term memory is in the prefrontal cortex (which is the part of the brain associated with short-term memory)
• Brain scan evidence using an fMRI scanner has shown and measured that the hippocampus was active when a person was given a task relating to long-term memory.
• similarly The prefrontal cortex is active when given a task based on short-term memory.
• supports multi store model as it indicates that when different memory stores are accessed e.g. short-term and long-term different parts of the brain active.

Question 17

what is a limitation of the MSM in terms of laboratory settings?

Answer 17

• tended to rely on evidence of artificial memory tasks in lab settings.
• individuals are asked to recall artificial stimuli (wordlists, lists of nonsense trigrams).
• does not reflect how we use our memories in every day situations.
• supporting evidence can therefore lack ecological validity and weaken the strength of support for the model as whilst we may use rehearsal to create long-term memory in these circumstances this may not be true and more every day situations