The Multi Store Model - BMT

Question 1

What is the multi store model?

Answer 1

an explanation of memory that sees information flowing through a series of storage system

Question 2

What are the three permanent structures in memory?

Answer 2

sensory register
short term memory
long term memory

Question 3

What is:
coding?
capacity?
duration?

Answer 3

coding - the form in which the information is stored

capacity - how much information can be stored

duration - how long information can be stored for

Question 4

What is the sensory register?

Answer 4

an automatic response to the reception of sensory information by the sense organs.

Question 5

What research supports the capacity of sensory register?

Answer 5

Sperling (1960) flashed a 3x4 grid of letters onto a screen for one-twentieth of a second and asked P’s to recall the letters of one row.

Found that the recollection of letters in the indicated row was high, suggesting all the information was originally there, indicating that the capacity of the SR is large

Question 6

Negative evaluation of the capacity of sensory register research?

Answer 6

• Calculating the capacity of sensory memory stores often involves experiments where P’s have to evaluate cues that suggest a change in random wave patterns. However these only provide estimates of capacity and are highly artificial in nature and thus lacking in mundane realism
• Although evidence exits that the iconic store can hold about 15 to 20 images, the capacity of other sensory memory stores isn’t well studied, as they last so briefly and generally only at a pre-conscious level

Question 7

Research into the duration of sensory register?

Answer 7

Walsh and Thompson found that the iconic sensory store has an average duration of 500 milliseconds, which decreases as individuals get older. This suggests duration of sensory memories is limited and dependent on age

Question 8

Evaluation of research into the duration of sensory register?

Answer 8

• The brief duration of sensory memories is seen as due to their physical traces (engrams) fading quickly. This suggests a biological explanation for the duration of information within the SR

Question 9

What is short term memory?

Answer 9

a temporary store holding small amounts of information for brief periods

Question 10

What research supports the coding of short term memory?

Answer 10

Posner and Keele found P’s were faster in assessing that A followed by A was the same letter than when A was followed by a. Because the visual code differs with different case of letters.
Findings show that visual coding was occurring, which illustrates how codes other than the acoustic one occur in STM

Question 11

evaluation of research supports the coding of short term memory?

Answer 11

• Although research shows that coding in the STM is mainly acoustic, other sensory codes such as visual are used too. Indeed, some stimuli like faces or the smell of food would be difficult to code acoustically

Question 12

What research supports the capacity of STM?

Answer 12

Daneman and Carpenter found there may be individual differences in STM capacity. Varied between five and twenty items.

Question 13

Evaluation of research that supports the capacity of STM?

Answer 13

• other factors like age and practice influence STM capacity and nowadays STM limitations are mostly seen as due to processing limitations associated with attention

Question 14

What is Long term memory?

Answer 14

a permanent store holding limitless amounts of information for long periods

Different LTMs have different strengths, some can be retrieved easily, others need promting

Question 15

Why aren’t some LTM memories accurate?

Answer 15

LTMs are not passive (unchanging) - over time they may change or merge with other LTMs

Question 16

what research supports the coding of LTM?

Answer 16

Frost gave P’s 16 drawings in four categories, differing in visual orientation. The order of recall of items suggested P’s used visual and semantic coding, implying evidence for a visual as well as semantic code in LTM

Question 17

Evaluation of research supports the coding of LTM?

Answer 17

• It’s difficult to see how smells and tastes could be coded semantically and reason suggests songs are encoded acoustically, supporting the idea of several forms of encoding in LTM
• Different types of LTM involve different brain areas, with research suggesting that they are encoded in different ways, which implies that there are varying forms of coding with the LTM

Question 18

What research supports the capacity of LTM?

Answer 18

Wagenaar created a diary of 2,400 events over 6 years and tested himself on recall of events rather than dates, finding he too had excellent recall, suggesting LTM is extremely large.

Diary studies, however, are a type of case study and therefore not representative of the general population and there could also be an element of bias as people are testing themselves

Question 19

What evaluation of research supports the capacity of LTM?

Answer 19

• Capacity of LTM is assumed to be limitless, as research has not been able to determine a finite capacity

Question 20

What research supports the duration of LTM?

Answer 20

Goldman and Seamon asked P’s to identify odours of everyday products experiences in the last 2 years and odours not experienced since childhood. although identification was better for more recent odours, there was significant identification of less -recent odcours, suggesting duration of olfactory (smell-based) information in LTM is long lasting

Question 21

What evaluation of research supports the duration of LTM?

Answer 21

• Sometimes information in LTM appears to be lost, but may be a problem of access to the information rather than it not being in LTM
• the type of testing techniques used may affect findings from studies of duration of LTM. Recall is often better when asking P’s to recognize stimuli, rather than getting them to recall stimuli

Question 22

What research supports the duration of STM?

Answer 22

Marsh found that if P’s weren’t expecting to have to recall information, STM duration was only between two and four seconds which suggests duration of STM is affected by the amount of time taken to process information

Question 23

Evaluation of research that supports the duration of STM?

Answer 23

• There is little in the way of research evidence considering the STM duration of other forms of stimuli, like visual images

Question 24

What are positive evaluation points for the Multi Store Model?

Answer 24

• The MSM was the first cognitive explanation of memory and thus was influential, inspiring interest and research and formed the basis for the working memory model leading to a greater understanding of how memory works.
• The model is supported by amnesia cases. Patients either lose their LTM or their STM abilities, but not both, supporting the idea that STM and LTM are separate memory stores (i.e. Scott Bolzan)

Question 25

What are negative evaluation points for the Multi Store Model?

Answer 25

• The MSM is oversimplified, as it assumed there are single STM and LTM stores. Research indicate several types of STM, like one for verbal and one for non-verbal sounds, and different types of LTM like procedural, episodic and semantic memories.
• Cohen (1990) believes memory capacity cannot be measured purely in terms of the amount of information to be recalled. Some things are easier to recall, regardless of the amount to be learned and the MSM doesn’t consider this.