Multi - Store Model Of Memory

Question 1

What is the Multi Store Model?

Answer 1

• Proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin.
• Information from the senses transfer to the sensory register. The information that is focused on or payed attention to is transferred to the STM. After Maintenance Rehearsal, the information is then transferred from the STM to the LTM. During Retrieval, the information is transferred back into the STM.

Question 2

What is the coding, capacity and duration of the Sensory Register?

Answer 2

• Coding = visually into iconic memory and audibly into echoic memory.
• Capacity = large
• Duration = less than half a second.

Question 3

What is the coding, capacity and duration of the STM?

Answer 3

• Coding = acoustic
• Capacity = 5-9 items
• Duration = 30 seconds

Question 4

What is the coding, capacity and duration of the LTM?

Answer 4

• Coding = semantic
• Capacity = unlimited
• Duration = unlimited

Question 5

Evaluation of the multi store model - supporting research

Answer 5

• Murdock presented participants with words in a list for 2 seconds. Immediately after, participants were asked to recall as many words from the list as they could in any order. When results were combined a serial position curve was revealed.
• Primacy effect is when there is better recall of words at beginning of the list as those words have been rehearsed in STM and then transferred into LTM by time of recall.
• Recency effect is when there is better recall of words at the end of the list as those words are still in STM at time of recall test.
• Words in middle have been displaced from STM before opportunity for rehearsal. Same pattern produced even when the length of word list was altered.
• Strength - results strongly support existence of STM and LTM stores and the MSM.

Question 6

Evaluation of the Multi Store Model - additional supporting research

Answer 6

• Supported by scientific evidence.
• Beardsley found that pre frontal cortex was active during STM tasks but not LTM tasks. Squire also used brain scanning and found that the hippocampus was active when LTM was engaged. STM and LTM are located in different areas of the brain.
• Strength - research scientifically demonstrates the plausibility of separate STM and LTM stores supporting the MSM.

Question 7

Evaluation of the Multi Store Model - More than one type of STM

Answer 7

• MSM states that the STM is a united store but evidence from people suffering from amnesia suggests otherwise.
• Shallice and Warrington found, after a bike accident patient KF’s memory for verbal information was largely impaired however his memory for visual information was largely unaffected. Suggests that there is on short term store to process visual information and another to process auditory information.
• Weakness - decreased validity.

Question 8

Evaluation of the Multi Store Model - more than one type of rehearsal

Answer 8

• Suggests that the more you rehearse the more you remember.
• Craik and Watkins suggested it was type of rehearsal that was important not the amount.
• MSM focuses on maintenance rehearsal but does not look at elaborative rehearsal (linking information). Means the model may need amendments or additional components.
• Weakness - another research finding that can’t be explained by the model.