The Multi-Store Model Flashcards
1
Q
What is Memory?
A
The process by which we retain and recall information from past events or experiences
2
Q
Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)
The Multi-Store Model of Memory
A
- Structural Model
- Memory consists of Sensory Register (SR), Short Term Memory (STM), and Long Term Memory (LTM)
- Information passes from store to store in a linear way
- STM & LTM are unitary stores
3
Q
How does information move across stores?
A
- SR –> STM - Attention
- STM –> LTM - Rehearshal
- LTM –> STM - Retrieval
- Maintenance rehearsal keeps information in STM
- Information can decay out of all stores, but can also be displaced from STM
4
Q
Encoding, Capacity, Duration
A
- Encoding: How information is perceived so it can be stored in memory (visual, acoustic, semantic)
- Capacity: How much information can be stored
- Duration: How long information can last in a store
5
Q
Roles of SR, STM, LTM
A
- SR - Receives information from each of the 5 senses and contains one sub-store for each sense
- STM - Active (changing) memory system that contains information currently being thought about
- LTM - Involves storing information over lengthy periods of time
6
Q
Coding, Capacity, Duration of SR
A
- Coding - Sense specific (different stores for each sense)
- Capacity - All sensory experience, Very large capacity
- Duration - 1/4-1/2 second
7
Q
Coding, Capacity, Duration of STM
A
- Coding - Mainly acoustic
- Capacity - 7+/- 2 items
- Duration - 18-30 seconds
8
Q
Coding, Capacity, Duration of LTM
A
- Encoding - Mainly semantic
- Capacity - Potentially Unlimited
- Duration - 48 years<
9
Q
Research into SR, STM, LTM: Sperling (1960)
A
- Method: Flashed 3x4 grid of letters on a screen for 1/20 second and asked participants to recall one row
- Findings: As information would fade very quickly, it sounded different tones (high, medium, low) to indicate which row to recall. Recall of all letters in the indicated row was high.
10
Q
Baddeley (1966): Encoding in STM
A
- Found participants had difficulty remembering acoustically similar words in STM, but not in LTM
- Semantically similar words posed little problem for STM but led to muddled LTM
11
Q
Posner & Keele (1967): Encoding in STM
A
- Participants faster in assessing A & A as the same letter than A & a
- Suggests visual coding occurs in STM, contradicting Baddeley’s study
12
Q
Jacobs (1887): Capacity of STM
A
- Average span for digits was 9.3 items v 7.3 items for letters
- Suggested that it was easier to recall digits as there are only 9 digits v 26 letters
13
Q
Miller (1965): Capacity in STM
A
- Wrote memorable article, ‘The magic number 7+/- 2’, where he carried out research
- Concluded that the span of STM to be ~7 items - sometimes a bit more/less
- You can also recall five words as well as five letter words, you can chunk things together to remember more
14
Q
Peterson & Peterson (1959): Duration of STM
A
- Used 24 students, each given a consonant sllable and a 3 digit number (eg. THX 512)
- Asked to recall consonant syllable after retention intervals of 3 seconds up to 18 - had to count backwards during intervals from the 3 digit number
- Findings: Participants able to recall 90% of their syllables correctly after 3 seconds, 2% could correctly recall after 18 seconds
15
Q
Frost (1972): Encoding in LTM
A
Long Term recall related to visual as well as semantic categories
16
Q
Anokhin (1973): Capacity in LTM
A
- Estimated the number of possible neuronal connections in the human brain is 1 followed by 10.5km of noughts
- ‘No human yet exists who can use all the potential of their brain’, suggesting limitless capacity
17
Q
Bahrick et al (1975): Duration of LTM
A
- Tested 400 people of various ages on memory of classmates using a photo recognition test (some from yearbooks) and a free recall test of as many names as they could from their graduating class
- Findings: Tested wihtin 15 yrs of graduation had 90% accuracy in identifying faces and 60% at free recall, after 48 years this declined to 70% for photo recognition and 30% in free recall
18
Q
Supporting evidence for MSM: Brain Scans
A
- Studies using brain scanning techniques have shown difference between STM and LTM
- Beardsley (1997): found that PFC is active during STM, but not LTM
- Squire et al (1992): found that the hippocampus is active when LTM is engaged
19
Q
Supporting evidence for MSM: Case Studies
A
- Provides evidence for the difference between STM & LTM
- Scoville & Milner (1957): HM had an operation to reduce epileptic seizures, but had brain damage. HM couldn’t form new LTM but could remember things from before the surgery
- Supports the idea of separate stores as HM cannot pass info from STM to LTM but was able to retrieve info from before
20
Q
Opposing evidence for MSM: Processing
A
- Craik & Lockhart (1972): Suggest LTM created through processing, not maintenance rehearsal. Things that are processed more deeply are more memorable
- Craik & Tulving (1975): Gave participants a list of nouns and asked questions that needed deep or shallow processing. Better recall when the tast involved deep processing than shallow
21
Q
Opposing evidence for MSM: Too Simple
A
- Shallice & Warrington: Amnesiac patient KF had poor STM recall for auditory stimuli, but better recall for visual stimuli (suggests multiple types of STM)
- Same is true for LTM, research shows different types of LTM with different functions. Maintenance rehearsal explains LTM storage in semantic, but not episodic memory
