The Multi Store Memory Model

Question 1

What is the multi store memory model

Answer 1

Represents how memory is stored and how info is transferred between the 3 memory stores

Question 2

What are the 3 stores in the multi store memory model

Answer 2

Sensory register , short term memory , long term memory

Question 3

What is the sensory register

Answer 3

The place where info is held at each of the 5 senses
-huge capacity
-sensory register constantly receives info but has no attention
- sensory into win only pass to STM if we pay attention to it
- duration is less then half a second

Question 4

Describe short term memory in the multi store model

Answer 4

• Info is held in the STM so we cen use it for immediate tasks
  -limited capacity and duration
  -maintenance rehearsal occurs when we repeat the new info to ourselves to keep in our STM-prolonged maintenance rehearsal allows his info to be passed on to LTM

Question 5

Describe LTM in the multi store memory model

Answer 5

• Potentially unlimited in duration and capacity
• in order to remember the info retrieval must occur which is when info Is passed back into the STM to be used

Question 6

A03 - strength - supporting evidence

Answer 6

+controlled lab studies on capacity, duration + coding support the existence of a separate LTM +STM store
- studies using brain scanning techniques show there is a difference between STM+LTM
- eg a psychologist found that the prefrontal cortex is only active when LTM is engaged
-this evidence, provides strong support for the MSM

Question 7

A03 - weakness - multi store model is too simple

Answer 7

— The MSM suggests that both the STM + LTM are single unitary store but research didn’t support this
-research shows there are a number of different kinds of LTM and each behaves differently
-eg maintenance rehearsal can explain long term storage in semantic memory but doesn’t explain long term episodic memories
-this suggests that MSM may be to overly simplistic

Question 8

AO3-strength-case studies with brain damage

Answer 8

+ psychologists have shown that different areas of the brain are involved in STM+ LTM from their study of individuals with brain damage
- one case is a man hm and his brain damage was caused by an operation to remove the hippocampus
-HMs personality remained intact but he could not form new LTMs but still remember things before the surgery
-this supports the MSM notion of separate stores,HM was unable to transfer info from his STM to LTM but was able to retrieve info before his surgery

Question 9

AO3- weakness-LTM involves more than maintenance rehersal

Answer 9

—the MSM has been criticised for its emphasis on maintenance rehersal
-psychologists suggest that memories are created by the processing you do at her than maintenance rehearsal-deeper memories are remembered more because of the way it’s processed
-2 psychologists did a study where pps were given a list of nouns and asked whether a word was printed in capital letters ( shallow processing) or asked whether the word fitted in a sentence (deep processing)-pps remembered words involved in deep processing more
-suggest maintenance rehearsal does not fully explain the process of creating LTM- deep processing is also a key part