Outline and evaluate the multi-store model of memory

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

the MSM (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968) consists of three separate and unitary memory stores of different duration, coding and capacity, with pathways linking each store

It is possible to damage one store without affecting the others

Information enters the sensory register (duration of 2 seconds, relatively large capacity, coding it the same as the sense its taken from) via the body’s senses

Here information must be paid attention to so that it can pass to STM (7 +-2 items capacity, 6-30s duration, coding is mainly acoustic). For information to be held in STM, maintenance rehearsal must be performed (repeating information over and over)

If we continue to rehearse that information for long enough, it will pass to LTM (unlimited capacity, duration of up to a lifetime, coding is mainly semantic)

Information can pass to STM from LTM via retrieval. It is a passive model as it shows information simply flowing into memory stores in a linear way

Question 2

Strength 1

Answer 2

Has convincing evidence to support it

From Glanzer and Cunitz (1966)

They found that information at the beginning of a presentation can be remembered because it has passed into LTM (primary effect), and information at the end of the presentation can be remembered because it is held in STM (recency effect) but all other information is forgotten

This suggests that there must be separate and unitary stores for LTM and STM

Question 3

Strength 2

Answer 3

Has convincing evidence to support it

From Peterson and Peterson (1959) and Bahrick (1975)

Who found STM and LTM have different durations. P&P showed participants could recall a series of trigrams for 18 seconds in STM, whilst Bahrick showed participants could recall names of classmates from LTM up to 47 years later

This suggests that, as STM and LTM have diff durations, each store must be separate and unitary as the model predicts

Question 4

Limitation 1 stm

Answer 4

Suggests we have more than 1 type of STM

From Shallice and Warrington (1970) who found that after a motorbike accident KF’s STM for digits was poor when they read aloud to him, but his recall was better when he read digits himself

This suggests that there may be 1 short-term store to process visual information and another to process auditory info

Therefore, MSM may not fully explain memory; instead, it may be better explained by working memory model

Question 5

Limitation 2 r

Answer 5

Only explains one type of rehearsal

Craick and Watkins (1973) argued that there are 2 types of rehearsal - maintenance and elaborative

Maintenance used for holding info in STM, however, elaborative needed for storage in LTM, this is when you attach meaning to info to make it more memorable

This suggests that MSM is limited as it doesn’t explain this type of rehearsal

Question 6

Limitation 3

Answer 6

Oversimplifies LTM

As there is multiple evidence to suggest that LTM is not a unitary store

Eg. 1 LT store for memories of facts, different for memories of how to do things, such as ride a bike

Suggests that MSM is limited as it doesn’t account for these different types of LT memory.