The multi-store model Flashcards
Who developed the multi-store model?
Atkinson and Shiffrin
What does the model show?
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.
How does information move into the sensory registor store?
By stimulus from the environment
What is the coding for the sensory registor?
Modality specific
What is the capacity of the sensory registor?
Very high
What is the duration of the sensory registor?
Very brief
How do information move from sensory memory store to the STM store
By paying attention to the information, otherwise its forgotten.
What is the capacity of the STM?
7 plus or minus 2 items
What is the coding for the STM?
Acoustic - sound
What is the duration of the STM?
18-30 seconds
How do memories move form the STM store to the LTM store?
By prolonged rehersal
What is the coding for the LTM?
Semantic - meaning
Capacity
Unimited
What is the duration of the LTM?
lifetime/forever
How are memories moved from the long term memory store to the short term memory store?
Through retrieval
Evaluations of MSM
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
Evaluation: Supported by research that STM and LTM are different.
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.
Evaluation: Prolonged rehersal is not needed for info transfer to LTM
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.
Evaluation: Uses artificial material (counterpoint)
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.
Evaluation: Evidence of more than one type of STM store
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).
Who discovered Elaborative Rehersal?
Craik and Watkins
What is maintenance rehersal?
When we reherse material over and over which keeps info in STM. If we rehearse it long enough it passes on to the LTM
