Multi-Store Model of Memory

Question 1

What is Atkinson and Shiffrin’s 1968 MSM?

Answer 1

Representation of how memory works in terms of 3 stores. Describe how info is transferred from one to another, how it is remembered and forgotten.

Question 2

STM

Answer 2

Limited capacity

Encoding mainly acoustic

Capacity of 5-9 items

Duration of 18-30 seconds

Question 3

LTM

Answer 3

Permanent memory store

Coding mainly semantic

Unlimited capacity

Duration is up to a lifetime

Question 4

Information Processing

Answer 4

Mind works like a computer in that it processes info like input, storage and retrieval.

Question 5

Encoding

Answer 5

Format of how memory is stored.

Question 6

Storage

Answer 6

Process of holding info in memory.

Question 7

Retrieval

Answer 7

Transferring info from LTM to STM, recalling info.

Question 8

Capacity

Answer 8

Amount of info that can be held in a memory store.

Question 9

Duration

Answer 9

Length of time info can be held in memory.

Question 10

The Sensory Register

Answer 10

All stimuli from environment pass into SR.

5 Stores, one for each sense.

Duration is less than half a second.

High capacity however only small amounts pass further into memory system if you don’t pay attention to them.

Question 11

What did Alan Baddeley 1966a find out about the STM store?

Answer 11

Info is encoded acoustically in STM. He found that when people recall words from a list immediately, mistakes are acoustic.

Question 12

LTM Store

Answer 12

Baddely 1966b found that LTM encoding is semantic.

Harry Bahrick et al 1975 found that many of their participants recognised names and faces of schoolmates 50 years later.

To recall info from LTM it has to be transferred back into STM

Question 13

Support from research evidence

Answer 13

Research studies show that STM and LTM are qualitatively different.

Baddeley (1966a,b) found we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using STM and mix up ones with similar meanings with LTM.

Shows that STM and LTM are different in terms of encoding, capacity and duration. Supporting MSM that they are separate.

Question 14

Competing argument

Answer 14

Not all psychologists accept that STM and LTM are separate. Difficult to identify in everyday life where one store ends and the other begins. Some like Guillermo Campitelli say they are intergrated, STM is part of LTM.

Question 15

Weakness

Answer 15

MSM states there is only one type of STM store. But evidence from people with amnesia show this isn’t true.

Shallice and Warrington (1970) studied KF who’s STM for digits was very poor when read out to him. Recall was better when he read them himself.

Shows MSM is reductionist explanation of memory because there must be separate stores for visual and auditory info.