The Multi-Store Model Flashcards
What does the Multi store model do?
It was developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin - it describes how information flows through the memory system - memory is made of three stores linked by processing
- sensory register
-stm
ltm
what is the sensory register?
where all stimuli from the environment pass into - this part of memory is not one store, but 5 - one for each sense
-coding: modality specific - it depends on the sense (visual is iconic, acoustic in echoic)
-duration: very brief, less than half a second
- capacity: very high, over one hundred million cells in one eye each storing data
how does information flow from sensory register to the short term memory?
it only passes into memory is attention is paid to it
what is the short term memory?
limited capacity store of temporary duration
coding - acoustic
duration - about 18 seconds unless rehearsed
capacity - between 5 and 9 items before some forgetting occurs
how does information pass from short term to long term memory?
maintenance rehearsal - when we repeat material to ourselves - we can keep information in STM as long as we rehearse it
if we rehearse it long enough, it passes into LTM
what is long term memory?
permanent memory store:
coding - mostly semantic
duration- potentially up to a lifetime
capacity- potentially unlimited
retrieval from LTM
when we want to recall info stored in LTM it has to be transferred back to STM by a process called retrieval
strength - research support showing STM and LTM are different
Baddeley found that we tend to mix up similar words that sounds similar when using our STM (so STM coding is acoustic)
but when we mix up words that have similar meaning, when we use our LTM (which shows LTM coding is semantic)
supports the MSM view that these two memory stores are separate and independent
counterpoint :
studies tend to not use everyday information - they use digits, letters, consonants
therefore, the MSM may not be a valid model of how memory works in everyday life - where memory tends to involve meaningful information
limitation is evidence suggesting there is more than one STM
KF had amnesia (Shallice and Warrington) STM recall for digits was poor when he heard them, but better when he read them
other studies confirm there may also be separate STM store for non-verbal sounds (e.g. noises)
so the MSM is wrong to claim there is just one STM store processing different types of information
limitation is prolonged rehearsal is not needed for STM-LTM transfer
Craik and Watkins argued that there are 2 types of rehearsal called maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal
elaborative rehearsal is needed for LTM storage which occurs when you link information to your existing knowledge, or think about its meaning
suggests that the MSM does not fully explain how long-term storage is achieved
extra - Bygone model
MSM was useful model to explain a lot of evidence at the time, e.g. differences in STM and LTM
but it became clear that the MSM cannot account for many research findings (e.g. amnesia) and oversimplifies the nature of STM, LTM and rehearsal
therefore, the MSM was a good starting point for developing more valid models of memory that explain the research evidence better
