Multistore Model of Memory Flashcards
Who were the psychologists that first proposed the multi store model of memory (MSM)?
Atkinson and Shiffrin
What does the multi store model of memory suggest?
The multi store model of memory suggests that
- memories are formed sequentially
- information is passed from one component to the next in a linear fashion
- each specific component has its own: type of coding, capacity and duration
Define capacity
Capacity is the measure of the amount of information that can be stored in memory
Define coding
Coding refers to the way that information is changed so it can be stored in memory
Give the three ways that information can be coded to store memory
Information can be stored in the form of visual, acoustic and semantic codes
Define duration
This a measure of how long a memory can be stored before it is not longer available
What does the multistore model of memory state about sensory memory?
The sensory memory contains one sub - store for each of the 5 senses.
The sensory memory has a large capacity because it receives information from our senses, but has a duration of less than half a second
The sensory memory has a short duration but huge capacity. What does mean when passing on information?
Information will only pass from the sensory register to the short term memory store if we pay attention to it
Where does the multi store model of memory suggest everything starts?
The multi store model of memory suggests that everything starts with environmental stimuli
After someone has received an environmental stimuli, where does it go?
The environmental stimuli is sent to the sensory memory.
What are the components of the sensory memory and their roles?
Iconic - visual senses
Echoic - auditory senses
Other sensory stores - other sensory information
What is the capacity, duration and coding of the sensory memory?
The sensory memory codes for visual and acoustic information with other sensory stores coding for the remaining sensory stores. The duration of the sensory memory is less than half a second however, high levels of information are held
The sensory memory holds a lot of information. Only a small amount of information gets paid attention to. Where does this information get sent to?
This information is sent to the short term memory
What is the capacity, duration and coding of the short term memory?
The short term memory has a duration of 30secs and capacity of 5-9 items. Information is also coded acoustically, sounds
Information can be kept in the short term memory, What is the name of the process that allows this to occur?
Maintenance rehearsal
What is maintenance rehearsal?
This is when someone recalls information repeatedly, for a short period of time
What is the name of the process that moves information from the short term memory to the long term memory? How does it work?
Prolonged rehearsal. The person repeats information to themselves for an extended period of time
What is the name of the process that describes information being taken from the long term memory back to the short term memory?
Retrieval
Information can be forgotten in many ways across the sensory memory, short term memory and long term memory.
Name and describe the four different ways
In the sensory memory, information can decay, whereby information that is deemed unimportant fades into nothingness.
In short term memory there is decay but also displacement. This means new memories push out old memories due to the short term memory limited capacity.
In the long term memory, information is affected by the interference retrieval failure.
Outline the multistore model of memory suggested by Atkinson and Shiffrin
Atkinson and Shiffrin suggested information entered the sensory memory through our senses. This information is then received in high levels due to the capacity of the sensory register. It is coded using all five senses, including auditory and visual senses. However, the duration of information is short, being less than one second.
The information that is processed and deemed important is sent to the short term memory. This memory store has a capacity for 5-9 items, a duration of 30 secs and codes information acoustically. Information is kept in the short term memory through maintenance rehearsal - the repetition of information.
Rehearsed information is then passed onto the long term memory. The long term memory has an unlimited capacity and a lifetime’s duration. Information is coded here semantically and is sent back to short term memory through the process of retrieval
During this process, information can easily be forgotten at any stage. At the sensory memory stage information can decay if not paid attention to. The short term memory can have decay or displacement occur and the long term memory can be prone to retrieval failure and interference
What is a limitation of the multi store model of memory? (Patient KF)
There is opposing evidence for the multi store model of memory and its structure. Shallice and Wallington studied amnesia on a patient called KF. He developed amnesia after a motorcycle incident. His long term memory was unaffected and remained intact, however his short term memory could no longer deal with verbal data just imagery data. This study shows that the short term memory is split into subsections and cannot be a unitary store. Therefore there must be a store for visual and auditory senses
What is a strength of the multi store model of memory?
Baddeley conducted research to support the idea that long term memory and short term memory were different and separate stores. In his study on coding he gave participants 1 of 4 lists of words to remember and he found acoustically similar words were harder to recall immediately and semantically similar words were harder to recall after 20 mins. It was concluded that acoustic confusion was occuring in short term memory and semantic confusion in long term memory, suggesting short term memory codes acoustically and long term memory acoustically. This shows that the two types pf memory are different entities
What is a limitation of the multistore model of memory?
Despite there being support evidence, in everyday life we form memories related to all sorts of useful things - peoples’ faces, their names, dacts, places. However many of the studies that support the multi store model use none of these materials. Instead they use digits, letters and sometimes words. This means that multi store model may not be an accurate or valid model of how memory works in our everyday lives, where we have to remember much more meaningful information that is often used in research studies
