multi store model of memory Flashcards
What is the Multi-Store Model (MSM) of memory?
Proposed by Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968), it suggests memory consists of three separate and unitary stores: Sensory Register (SR), Short-Term Memory (STM), and Long-Term Memory (LTM).
How does information transfer between stores in the MSM?
Memories are formed sequentially, passing from one store to another in a linear fashion.
What is the Sensory Register (SR) in MSM?
The first store in the MSM, which processes incoming sensory information from the environment.
What are the key features of the Sensory Register?
Duration: ~250 milliseconds. Capacity: Very large. Encoding: Modality-specific (different senses have different storage systems).
What are the two main components of the Sensory Register?
Iconic memory (visual information) and Echoic memory (auditory information).
How does information move from Sensory Register to STM?
If attention is paid to sensory information, it is transferred to STM.
What are the key features of Short-Term Memory (STM) in MSM?
Capacity: 7 ± 2 items. Duration: 18-30 seconds. Encoding: Primarily acoustic.
What happens to information in STM if it is not rehearsed?
It decays due to limited duration or is displaced by new information due to limited capacity.
How can STM duration be extended?
Maintenance rehearsal (repeating information out loud or in the mind).
How is information transferred from STM to LTM?
Through prolonged rehearsal.
What are the key features of Long-Term Memory (LTM) in MSM?
Capacity: Unlimited. Duration: Lifetime. Encoding: Primarily semantic.
How do we retrieve information from LTM?
Through recall and recognition, transferring it back to STM for use.
What is the Primacy Effect?
The tendency to remember the first few items in a list better than the middle ones.
Why does the Primacy Effect occur?
First items receive more rehearsal, allowing them to transfer into LTM.
What is the Recency Effect?
The tendency to remember the last few items in a list better than the middle ones.
Why does the Recency Effect occur?
The most recent items remain in STM and are easier to recall.
What is a strength of the MSM supported by brain scan research?
Beardsley (1997) found the prefrontal cortex is active during STM tasks, while Squire (1992) found the hippocampus is crucial for LTM.
Why do brain scans support the MSM?
They show STM and LTM rely on different neural systems, supporting the idea that they are separate stores.
How does the case study of HM support the MSM?
After hippocampus removal, HM could not form new LTMs but had intact STM, showing STM and LTM are separate.
What is a limitation of using HM as evidence for MSM?
His case may not be generalizable, and epilepsy treatment could have influenced findings.
What alternative theory challenges MSM’s explanation of memory?
The Levels of Processing (LoP) theory by Craik & Lockhart (1972).
How does the Levels of Processing (LoP) theory differ from MSM?
It suggests memory retention depends on depth of processing, not rehearsal.
Why does LoP theory challenge MSM?
LoP suggests semantic processing leads to better LTM storage, not just rehearsal, making it a more flexible model.
What is a limitation of the MSM regarding LTM?
It treats LTM as a single store, whereas evidence suggests multiple types (episodic, semantic, procedural).
How does HM’s case contradict MSM’s view of LTM?
HM could form new procedural memories (e.g., mirror-drawing) but not episodic/semantic memories, showing LTM is not unitary.
Why might the Working Memory Model (WMM) be a better alternative to MSM?
WMM accounts for multiple memory systems instead of treating STM as a single store.
