The multi-store model

Question 1

Who developed the multi-store model?

Answer 1

Atkinson and Shiffrin

Question 2

What does the model show?

Answer 2

Shows how memory works in terms of three stores: sensory registor, STM and LTM. It describes how information is transferred from one store to another.

Question 3

How does information move into the sensory registor store?

Answer 3

By stimulus from the environment

Question 4

What is the coding for the sensory registor?

Answer 4

Modality specific

Question 5

What is the capacity of the sensory registor?

Answer 5

Very high

Question 6

What is the duration of the sensory registor?

Answer 6

Very brief

Question 6

How do information move from sensory memory store to the STM store

Answer 6

By paying attention to the information, otherwise its forgotten.

Question 7

What is the capacity of the STM?

Answer 7

7 plus or minus 2 items

Question 8

What is the coding for the STM?

Answer 8

Acoustic - sound

Question 9

What is the duration of the STM?

Answer 9

18-30 seconds

Question 10

How do memories move form the STM store to the LTM store?

Answer 10

By prolonged rehersal

Question 10

What is the coding for the LTM?

Answer 10

Semantic - meaning

Question 11

Semantic - meaning

Answer 11

Unimited

Question 12

What is the duration of the LTM?

Answer 12

lifetime/forever

Question 13

How are memories moved from the long term memory store to the short term memory store?

Answer 13

Through retrieval

Question 13

Evaluations of MSM

Answer 13

Supported by research showing that STM and LTM are different, Uses artificial material, Prologed rehersal is not needed for info transfer to LTM, Evidence of more than one type of STM store

Question 14

Evaluation: Supported by research that STM and LTM are different.

Answer 14

P
It is supported by research showing that STM and LTM are different.
E
Baddeley (1966) found that we tend to mix up words that sound familiar when we are using our STM. We tend to mix up words that have similar meanings when we use our LTMs.
E
STM - acoustic
LTM - SEMANTIC
L
supports that MSM has two separate, independent stores.

Question 15

Evaluation: Prolonged rehersal is not needed for info transfer to LTM

Answer 15

According to MSM, what matters about rehersal is the amount - more you rehearse something, the more likely it is to transfer to LTM.
Craik and Watkins (1973) found what really matters was the type of rehearsal.

Elaborative rehearsal: is needed for long-term storage. This occurs when you link information to your existing knowledge, or you think about what it means.
This means info can be transferred without polonged rehersal.
Sugguests that the MSM does not fully explain how LTM storage is achieved.

Question 15

Evaluation: Uses artificial material (counterpoint)

Answer 15

P
Uses artificial material in studies
E
We form memories from useful things such as names, faces, places etc.
Studies that support MSM use consonant syllables, digits, letters etc.
E
No personal meaning
So evidence collected from studies cannot reflect everyday life
L
The MSM is not a good explanation of how memory works in our everyday life where we have to remember more meaningful information. Lack of ecological validity.

Question 16

Evaluation: Evidence of more than one type of STM store

Answer 16

Shallice and Warrington (1970) studied a patient with amnesia known as KF. They found that KF’s STM for digits was very poor when they read them out loud to him. But his recall was better when he was able to read the digits himself.
Further studies of KF shows that there could be another STM store for non-verbal sounds (e.g. noises)
This evidence ugguests that MSM is wrong in claiming that there is just one STM store processing different types of information (e.g. auditory, visual).

Question 17

Who discovered Elaborative Rehersal?

Answer 17

Craik and Watkins

Question 17

What is maintenance rehersal?

Answer 17

When we reherse material over and over which keeps info in STM. If we rehearse it long enough it passes on to the LTM