Psychology: The Multistore Model Flashcards
What are the 3 stores in the Multistore Model?
- Sensory Memory
- Short-Term Memory
- Long-Term Memory
How is information encoded/coded in sensory memory?
Coded: 5 senses
What is the capacity and duration of sensory memory?
Capacity: very large
Duration: less than 1/2 seconds
How is information transferred from Sensory Memory to STM?
Attention
What is the Capacity and duration of STM?
Capacity: 7+/-2
Duration: 18-30 sec
How is information encoded/coded in STM?
Coding: Acoustic - sound
What is the Capacity and duration of LTM?
Capacity: vast
Duration: life time
How is information encoded/coded in LTM?
Coding: Sematic - meaning
How is information transferred between STM to LTM according to the MSM model?
Prolonged rehearsal
How did Peterson and Peterson measure the duration of STM?
Students recall meaningless three-letter trigrams (for example OFT, NRS) at different intervals (3,6,9,12,15 or 18 seconds). To prevent rehearsal the students had to count backwards in threes or fours from a specific number, until they were asked to recall the letters.
What were the Key finding of P & P’s research?
Peterson & Peterson found that the longer the interval, the less accurate the recall. At 3 seconds, around 80% of the trigrams were correctly recalled, whereas at 18 seconds only 10% were correctly recalled.
How do the finding of Peterson and Peterson’s study support the MSM?
Short-term memory has a limited duration of approximately 18 seconds. Furthermore, the results show that if we are unable to rehearse information, it will not be passed to long-term memory, providing further support for the Multi-Store Model and the idea of discrete (separate) memory stores.
Why has Peterson & Peterson’s study been criticised for lacking external validity?
Because it is unlikely that in real life people will have to recall random letters and numbers. Most things in day to day life that we need to remember has meaning which makes it easier to recall.
How did Jacobs measure the capacity of STM?
Researcher gives 4 digits and participant recalls in correct order. If correct, increase to 5 and so on until they get it wrong.
What were the Key findings of Jacob’s research?
Digit span I how many they recall correctly:
- Mean number of letters in STM 7.3
- Mean number of numbers in STM 9.3
How do the findings of Jacob’s study support the MSM?
Jacob’s study backs up the idea that STM has a capacity of 7+/-2 which the MSM proposes.
How does Miller’s research support Jacob’s study?
Miller wrote an article called ‘The magic number 7 plus or minus 2’. Which backs up Jacob’s research that the STM has a capacity of 7+/-2.
How did Baddeley’s study measure coding in STM and LTM?
Participants had to learn and recall the lists either immediately (test of STM) or after 20 minutes (test of LMT).
What are the Key findings of Baddeley’s research?
Findings immediate recall:
- The worst remembered list is acoustically (man,can) similar words because similar sounding words get confused.
Findings recall after 20 minutes:
- Worst remembered list is semantically similar (great, large) because they are confused with the similar meaning.
How do the findings of Baddeley’s study support the MSM?
Shows coding in STM is acoustic and semantic in LMT therefore they must be separate stores.
How did Bahrick’s study measure the Duration of LTM?
Participants were tested on their recall of:
1. Photo recognition from 50 photos from their high school yearbook
2. Free recall where participants recalled any names they could remember form their high school class
After 15 years and 48 years
What were the Key findings of Bahrick’s research?
Results:
15 years after:
- 90% accuracy photo recognition
- 60% accuracy free recall
48 years after:
- 70% accuracy photo recognition
- 30% accuracy free recall
How do the findings of Bahrick’s study support the MSM?
This shows that the duration of LTM is up to a lifetime supporting the MSM.
How does the Case study of Clive Wearing support the MSM?
Short term memory and LTM must be separate stores as Clive Wearing can’t transfer information between them.
Why has some of the research into the Multistore Model been crises for lacking external validity?
The use of artificial materials e.g. word lists / trigrams / digits - lack mundane realism. We tend to remember better by association and meaning then without meaning which random letters and numbers lack. These studies therefore may not tell us how memory works in real life situations.
What is the problem of maintenance rehearsal in the model and why might be a better way of transferring information from STM to LTM?
The model says information is transferred from STM to LTM through Maintenance Rehearsal - repeating information over and over. Elaborative Rehearsal is more effective - Give it meaning. By making associations between the new information you’re trying to learn and the information you already know, you’re making your brain process the information in a more in-depth way. This is a limitation because model doesn’t explain elaborative rehearsal.
What is evidence that LTM memory is not a unitary (single) store as the model suggests?
LTM is not a Unitary store - the case of Clive Wearing challenges the model. Clive’s procedural LTM was intact but his semantic and episodic memories were affected by his brain damage. Suggest that LTM must be multiple stores as if LTM was a Unitary store Clive would have no long term memories at all.
What is the evidence that STM is not a unitary (single) store as the model suggests?
The case of KF challenges the model. KF damaged his STM in a motorbike accident. After the accident he had problems remembering lists of digits when they were read out to him, but he could remember them when he read them. This challenges the model as it shows we have different types of STM for visual and verbal information, it is not a single (unitary) store.
