Multi-store model of memory Flashcards
Who came up with the MSM?
Atkinson & Shiffrin
What is the MSM?
Describes how information flows through the memory system
What does the MSM suggest?
Memory made up of 3 stores linked by processing
What is the sensory register made up of?
- Iconic
- Echoic
- Other sensory stores
How is each store in the sensory register coded?
Iconic= visual
Echoic= acoustic
Othe sensory stores= touch, taste, smell, etc
- coding in each store is modality-specific (depends on the sense)
What’s the capacity of the sensory register?
High capacity
What’s the Duration of the sensory register?
Very brief
How does information get passed on through the sensory register?
Paying attention
How is STM coded?
Acoustically (18s), unless rehearsed
Capacity of STM?
- limited capacity
- 7 items plus or minus 2
What type of store is STM?
Temporary store
What is maintenance rehearsal?
- Repeating material to ourselves over and over again
- keep information in our STMs as long as we rehearse it
- If rehearsed long enough, it’s passed into our LTM
What type of store is LTM?
Permanent store, full of rehearsed information
How is LTM coded?
Semantically
Duration of LTM?
Up to a lifetime
Capacity of LTM?
Unlimited
How do we recall info from LTM?
Has to be transferred back into STM by a process called retrieval
EVALUATION: MSM Strength - research support
Research support:
- Other studies show STM and LTM are different (e.g. Baddeley) and how each store is coded and its capacity
- clearly show STM and LTM are separate and independent stores, as claimed by MSM
EVALUATION: MSM - Limitation - More than one STM store
More than one STM store:
- studies of amnesia (e.g. KF) shows different STMs for visual and auditory material
