Multi - Store Model of memory Flashcards
What is the multi - store model?
An explanation of memory based on three separate stores and how information is transferred between these stores.
What are the two models of memory?
- The multi-store memory
- The working memory model
Draw the multi store memory model?
- Sensory registor (Attention)
- Short term memory (Decay/displacement/maintenance rehearsal)
- Long term memory (Retrieval failure)
What are the three stores suggested by the multi-store model?
- Sensory memory (SM)
- Short term memory (STM)
- Long term memory (LTM)
Who designed the MSM and what’s the basis of info?
Designed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) and it shows memory consisting of three stores which link together through processes such as attention and rehearsal.
What is the sensory register?
Place where information is held at each sense e.g. eyes ears nose fingers etc. Capacity is very large as it is subjected to all information that is revealed to us however only stores information we pay attention to.
What is the role of attention in the MSM?
If attention is paid the data is transferred to short term memory. (FIRST STEP IN REMEMBERING) If you pay attention to one sense it will go to STM.
What is the Short term memory in the MSM?
Information transferred from sensory register to STM when attention is paid. It is used to do immediate tasks such as remembering directions
CAPACITY: 5-9 Items
Duration: 18-30 seconds - Limited duration info decays if not rehearse.
Information also disappears if its displaced, if new information is processed or it is ‘full’.
What is Maintenance rehearsal and what is its role in the MSM?
Repetition keeps info in STM but eventually it creates a long term memory. Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed direct relationship between rehearsal in STM and strength of LTM (More rehearsal = better memory).
What is the Long term memory in the MSM?
Unlimited in duration and capacity may feel there are many things once known but forgotten.
What is retrieval and what is its role in the MSM?
Process of getting info back from LTM involves info passing back through the STM.
Outline 3 strengths of MSM.
+ Case study: A man named HM, had brain damage (hippocampus removed) and his personality and intellect remained the same but couldn’t form new LTM and could remember stuff before the surgery showing LTM and STM are two distinct stores.
+ Supporting evidence: Studies from brain scanning techniques suggest there is a separate store for LTM and STM. Beardsley found the prefrontal cortex active during STM but not LTM. This provides strong evidence for the MSM. Squire et al (1992) also used brain scanning techniques and found the hippocampus was active when LTM is engaged.
+ The MSM was a pioneering model of memory that inspired further research and consequently other influential models, such as the Working Memory Model. The multi-store model is a simple and intuitive model that can be easily understood by non-experts. The model suggests that memory is composed of three distinct stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. This straightforward structure has made it an appealing framework for researchers to explore the processes involved in memory.
Outline 3 Limitations of MSM.
- Too simple: Suggests STM and LTM are single unitary stores but research does not support this. Working memory model provides more detailed alternative
- LTM involves more than maintenance rehearsal: Lockhart suggested enduring memories are created by the processing you do rather than through maintenance rehearsal: things are processed more deeply are more memorable due to the way they’re processed.
- Lack of ecological validity: The experiments used to support the multi-store model often lack ecological validity, meaning that they do not necessarily reflect real-life situations. For example, laboratory experiments that use lists of unrelated words may not be representative of how people encode and retrieve information in everyday life. This limits the generalisability of the model.
