Multistore model of memory

Question 1

Multistore model

Answer 1

• A representation of how memory works in terms of three stores
• It describes how information is transferred from one store to another, how it is remembered and how it is forgotten

Question 2

Short term memory (STM)

Answer 2

• The limited capacity memory store. Encoding mainly acoustic, capacity of 5-9 items and a duration of 30 seconds
• However can be maintained as long as rehearsal occurs but if maintenance doesn’t occur, it will be displaced by current memories

Question 3

Long term memory (LTM)

Answer 3

• It has an unlimited capacity and its duration can be up to a lifetime
• The information is stored semantically, meaning it is based off meaning
• It can be forgotten by either retrieval failure, meaning that it has an inability to access the stored memory or interference, when the memory is disrupted by another memory

Question 4

Explanation of the MSM

Answer 4

• A stimuli from the environment enters your sensory memory and if you don’t pay attention to the stimuli, it decays however when you pay attention to the stimuli it enters your short term memory
• The STM is your current awareness, and it is encoded acoustically. It has a capacity of 5 to 9 items and can be maintained up to 30 seconds then displaced by another memory, however if you do maintenance rehearsal, it can be maintained in the STM and prolonged maintenance rehearsal can lead to the information being transferred to the LTM where it is encoded semantically
• The LTM has unlimited capacity and can be remembered from minutes to a lifetime, however can be forgotten through retrieval failure which is the inability to access the stored memory or interference which is when a memory is disrupted by another memory

Question 5

Strength of Multistore model of memory

Answer 5

• A strength is that there is evidence to support the separation of the STM and LTM proposed by the MSM
• Glanzer and Cunitz found that when given a 20 word list, participants recalled the words at the beginning and at the end the best. This was suggested to be an effect of the STM and LTM being used separately
• The word at the beginning were going under maintenance rehearsal and stored in the LTM while the words at the end were being occupied in the STM
• This provides evidence for the structure of memory the MSM

Question 6

Weakness of Multistore model of memory

Answer 6

• A weakness if that the MSM is that it cannot explain memories that are formed without rehearsal
• Brown and Kulik found that for emotionally intense, surprising and high consequence memories can be recalled in high amount of details without rehearsal such as the event of Kennedy’s assassination
• This directly contradicts the MSM which says information must be rehearsed in order to be transferred into the LTM.