The Multi Store Model Flashcards
What is the multi store model
- the first cognitive explanation of memory
- it explains how information flows through a series of storage systems - identifying 3 permanent structures of memory
- each stage differs in capacity, duration and coding
Describe the multi-store model
-We are stimulated by the environment through the sense organs. This is received by the sensory register, If we pay attention to it it goes to the STM. Maintenance rehearsal would happen here and to go to the LTM elaborative rehearsal takes place
What are the most studied stores in the SR
Iconic and echoic
What is the coding, capacity and duration of memories in the SR
- Raw - so it can decay
- Large capacity
- 250 milliseconds
Explain Sperling’s study
- Provided evidence of SR’s large capacity
- Flashed grid up and after images allowed participants to recall what was on there
Give biological evidence for the SR
- Javitt et al found that the capacity is related to the efficiency of the nervous system
- Also the short duration is because the physical traces in the neurones fade quickly
What is the STM
- When we pay attention to what is in the SR
- It is an active memory system and has information currently being thought about
What was the aim of Baddeley’s study on coding
-To see whether coding in stm is acoustic or semantic
What was the procedure of Baddeley’s study
- 4 lists, acoustically similar/dissimilar, semantically similar/dissimilar
- Immediately after hearing the were asked to recall in the right order
What were the findings of Baddeley’s study
Acoustically similar words were the hardest to recall with only 10% accuracy all the others were between 60-80%
What can be concluded from Baddeley’s study
That coding in the STM is primarily acoustic. Causes the most interference and confusion so is the most important.
Evaluate Baddeley’s study
Posner and Keene’s study found the importance of visual coding too when participants were quick to match up A and A instead of A and a. Shows the manipulation of variables too as semantic and acoustic is the same - cause and effect
What was the aim of Jacobs study
To test the capacity of STM using the serial digit span method
What was the procedure of Jacobs study
Participants were read a list of numbers/letters. They had to recall as many as the could in order.
What is the immediate digit span
The STM capacity. When only 50% of the time the digits can be recalled.
What was Jacob’s conclusion
Numbers - 9 items
Letters - 7 items
What did Jacobs conclude
Limited capacity and numbers are easier because there is only 9 not 26
What did Miller 1956 find and review
He reviewed Jacobs study and found the importance of chunking to increase capacity. Also Miller’s Magic Number 7 - what can be recalled in STM
What was the aim of Peterson and Peterson’s study
To investigate the duration of the STM
What was the procedure of Petersons study
Participants shown trigrams and then distraction task was given of counting down in 3s. They were then asked to recall the trigram
What were the findings of the Peterson study
90% were recalled after only 3 seconds of counting - 5% after 18 seconds
What did the Peterson study conclude
That the duration is between 20-30 seconds in the STM
Evaluate the Peterson study
- Variation of trigrams may cause more interference
- Lacks realism
- Marsh 1997 - duration in STM could be as short as 2-4 seconds if they weren’t expecting to recall information - so it can be affected by the amount of time taken to process
What is the LTM
- The long term memory which can store info up to a lifetime
- They can merge and change affecting accuracy and constancy
What did Baddeley’s study of the LTM conclude
It concludes that in the long term memory coding is more so semantic because there was only 55% accuracy when asked to recall a list of semantically similar words after a 20 min interval and distactor task
Evaluate the capacity of the LTM
- Assumed limitless because we have not been able to research that it has a finite capacity
- Limited capacity has been found in other animals - Fagot and Cooke -found that pigeons could memorise 1200 associations whereas baboons could do 5000+
What was the aim of Bahrick et al’s study
To investigate the duration of LTM
What was the procedure of Bahrick’s study
Those aged from 17-74 were asked to complete a free recall task and a recognition task of faces and names of people they were with in their High School final year
What were the findings to Bahrick’s study
Those who had left HS in the past 15 years
- Recognition task - 90%
- Recall - 60%
Those who had left HS in the past 48 years
- Recogntion - 80%
- Recall - 30%
What was Bahricks conclusion
That memory is long lasting
Evaluate Bahricks study
LTM cannot be lost necessarily there may just be an issue accessing it
What did Murdock’s study provide evidence for
A separate STM and LTM
What was the procedure in Murdock’s study
He asked participants to learn a list of words and free recall them after shown fir one or two secs
What were Murdock’s findings
- Importance of serial position effect
- Primary and recency effect - (serial position curve)
What was Murdock’s conclusion
Primary effect due to words in LTM
Recency effect due to words in STM
Words in middle forgotten due to displacement and not enough time
What further support is there for the MSM
Anterograde amnesia HM case study
- Hippocampus removed caused brain damage
- STM was unable to rehearse so no new memories were made.
What criticisms of the MSM are there
-Oversimplified
