multi-store model of memory Flashcards
what is the multi-store model of memory?
a representation of how memory works in terms of three stores and also describes how information is transferred from one store to another
what is the short-term memory?
the limited capacity memory store
- duration is between 18-30 seconds
- encoding is mostly acoustic
- capacity is between 5-9 items
what is the long-term memory?
the permanent memory store
- duration is a lifetime
- encoding is mainly semantic
- capacity is unlimited
what is information processing?
the mind works like a computer in that it processes information in terms of input, storage and retrieval
what is encoding?
the format in which information is stored in the various memory stores
what is storage?
the process of holding information in memory
what is retrieval?
the process of transferring information from the LTM to the STM
what is capacity?
the amount of information that can be held in a memory store
what is duration?
the length of time information can be held in memory
what are the three stores?
sensory register
short term memory store
long term memory store
what is the sensory register?
all stimuli from the environment pass into the sensory register and has several stores (one for each sense)
- duration is less than a second
- capacity is very high
but very little of the information from the sensory register into the STM only if you pay attention
what is the short-term memory?
information that we pay attention to passes into the STM
- a temporary store
what did Miller think the capacity of the STM is?
Miller (1956) noted that everything in life is in 7s(??), seven sins, seven days of week
- the capacity of the STM is 7+/- 2
what did Baddeley think the STM encoding is?
Baddeley found that information is encoded acoustically (how it sounds)
- he found that when people recall words from a list, any mistakes they make are acoustic - changing them out for words that sound the same
what did Peterson and Peterson think the duration of the STM?
Peterson and Peterson found that the duration of the STM is between 18 and 30 seconds.
- most information is forgotten quickly but the duration can be extended through MAINTAINANCE REHEARSAL
- when we repeat material
if we rehearse long enough, it passes into long-term memory
what is the long-term memory?
LTM is the permanent memory store for material that has been rehearsed for a prolonged period of time.
- capacity is unlimited
- Baddeley found that encoding is semantic - what information needs
- Bahrick found that many of their ppts were able to recognise the names and faces of school classmates 50 years onwards.
what is information processing?
the information processing approach suggests that information flows through the human cognitive system in a sequence of stages including input, storage and retrieval.
what is information processing alike to?
it is similar to a computer
- cognitive psychologists use computer models in which the mind is compared to a computer by suggesting that there are similarities in the way information is processed
what is the strength of the MSM?
MSM is supported by research studies that show STM and LTM are QUANTITATIVELY DIFFERENT
- baddeley found that we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using the STM
- when using the LTM, we mix up words that have the same MEANINGS
what is the competing argument against the strength of MSM?
not all psychologists accept that STM and LTM are separate stores
- it is more difficult than suggested to identify in everyday life where one store ends and the other begins.
some researchers argue that the STM and LTM are integrated (CAMPITELLI)
what is a weakness of the MSM?
the MSM states that there is only one type of STM store, but evidence from people with amnesia shows that this is not true
- Shallice and Warrington studied KF and found that his STM for digits was very poor when they were read to him but was much better when he read them himself.
this shows that MSM is not a complete explanation because there may be separate stores for visual and auditory
what is the application of the MSM?
the MSM can be applied to improving memory
- research has shown that the limited capacity of STM can be increased through chunking
- capacity = 7 but by putting them into chunks (words) the number of items can increase ( more characters but less words)
