Multistore model of memory Flashcards
name the three stores of the multistore model?
sensory register, short term memory, long term memory
how is information encoded in sensory memory?
by all 5 senses- mainly echoic (processes sounds) and iconic ( processes visual)
what is the capacity and duration of sensory memory?
capacity- unlimited (very large)
duration- less than half a second
how is information transferred from sensory memory to STM?
by paying attention
what is the capacity and duration of STM?
capacity- 7+/- 2 items
duration- 18-30 secs(without rehearsal)
how is information encoded in STM?
acoustic (by sound)
how is information kept in short term memory for as long as you want?
maintenance rehearsal
how is information transferred from STM to LTM?
prolonged rehearsal
what is the capacity and duration of the long term memory?
capacity- vast/unlimited
duration- up to a lifetime
how is information coded for in LTM?
semantically (by meaning)
how is information transferred from the LTM back to the STM?
retrieval
what did Peterson and Peterson measure?
duration of STM
how did Peterson and Peterson measure duration of STM?
trigrams recalled after delay of seconds (3,6,9…)
rehearsal prevented by counting backwards
80% accurate recall after 3 secs
10% accurate recall after 18 secs
what conclusions were made from Peterson and Peterson research?
STM has a limited duration of approx 18 secs
results show that if we are unable to rehearse info, it can’t be transferred to LTM
STM and LTM must be separate stores
why has Peterson and Peterson study been criticised for lacking external validity?
trigrams are artificial materials that lack meaning
so using this study may not fully show how memory works in real life when presented with materials that have meaning
what did Jacob’s measure?
capacity of STM
how did Jacob’s measure capacity of STM?
used the digit span technique!
-increase number of digits each time and participants had to recall.
Digit span is how many they recalled correctly.
mean number of letters in STM 7.3
mean number of numbers in STM 9.3
what conclusion was made from Jacob’s study (support for MSM?
capacity of STM is limited to 7 +/- 2 items
so STM limited vs LTM unlimited so they must be different stores
how does Miller’s research support Jacobs?
wrote an article “the magic number 7 plus of minus two”
came up with idea of chunking which means more information can be stores in STM by chunking into 7 +/- 2
how can Millers and Jacobs research be criticised?
there is evidence to suggest that 7 items is an overestimate, more likely to be around 5
what did Baddeley measure?
coding in STM and LTM
how did Baddeley measure coding in STM and LTM?
participants shown a list of words and had to recall the list immediately after and after 20 mins
semantically similar/ diff
acoustically similar/diff
what were the findings of Baddeley’s study?
immediately after; worst remembered were acoustically similar because similar sounds get confused in STM
20 mins after; semantically similar were worst remembered because similar words get confused in LTM and start adding new ones
how does Baddeley’s research support the MSM?
coding is acoustic in STM and semantic in LTM
also supports idea that they are two different stores
what did Bahrick measure and how?
duration of LTM
participants tested on recognising photos from year book and naming people in the year book
what were the results of Bahrick’s study and how does this support the MSM?
48 years after; 70% accuracy photo recall and 30% accuracy free recall
shows LTM lasts a lifetime so supports MSM
explain the Clive Wearing case?
uncontrolled infection led to him only being able to remember for 7 seconds
he could remember how to play piano but not that he had just played music.
he couldn’t transfer from STM to LTM
how does the case of Clive Wearing suggest that LTM is not a single store?
his procedural LTM was intact because he could remember how to play piano. His semantic (factual) and episodic (events) memories were damaged.
so there must be 3 different LTM’s
why is memory studies being in controlled lab settings a strength of the MSM?
establish cause and effect- any effect on the DV is due to manipulation of the IV
what is the evidence to show that STM is not unitary (there is more than one type) ?
The case of KF
motorbike accident
he could remember digits when he read them but not when they were read to him
so there must be different types of STM for visual and acoustic info
what has research into the MSM been criticised for?
using artificial materials e.g. word lists, trigrams and digits
artificial materials lack meaning so results for studies may not apply to how memory works in real life for meaningful material- so low external validity
why might there also be criticism for not using artificial materials in research?
using meaningful materials will cause info to be transferred to LTM so can’t accurately measure STM
why is the MSM saying info is transferred from STM to LTM by maintenance rehearsal a limitation?
elaborative rehearsal is more effective. By making associations between new info you’re trying to learn and the information you already know, you make your brain process the info in a more in-depth way
