The Multi-Store Model (MSM) Flashcards
MSM
Representation of how memory works in its 3 stores; sensory, STM and LTM
Describes how info = transferred from one store to another, how it’s remembered and forgotten
Sensory register
The memory stores for each of our 5 senses; vision (iconic store) and hearing (echoic store). Coding in the iconic sensory register = VISUAL and in the echoic sensory register = ACOUSTIC
CAPACITY OF SENSORY REG = huge (millions of receptors), info lasts for a very SHORT time (less than 1/2 a second)
Who introduced the MSM
Atkinson and Shiffrin
When did the creators introduce the model
1968 and 1971
How does info get passed through the system from the sensory register
Not much of what goes into the sensory register passes further into the system. Only if you pay ATTENTION to it.
What is the capacity of STM
5-9 items (although research suggest its more likely 5 rather than 9)
How is STM encoded and how long does it last
ACOUSTICALLY - between 18-30 seconds unless rehearsed
What is maintenance rehearsal
When you REPEAT material over and over again. You can keep the info in your STM as long as you rehearse it. If rehearsed long enough - passes through to LTM
What kind of store is the LTM
The PERMANENT store (for info that has been rehearsed for a prolonged time)
What is the capacity of LTM
UNLIMITED - lasts for many years eg: Bahrick’s yearbook study - P’s were able to recognise names/faces of former classmates 48 years after graduating
How is LTM encoded
SEMANTICALLY (in terms of meaning)
What is retrieval
When we want to recall info - it has to be transferred back into STM
What was the individual HM suffering from
Epilepsy
When did HM have his surgery
When he was a child
What part of his brain was removed
His hippocampus from BOTH SIDES of his brain
What were the effects of his brain surgery
His memory = assessed in 1955. HM thought the year was 1953 and that he was 27 y/o (he was 31).
HM had very little recall of operation and he couldn’t remember speaking with someone only an HOUR earlier
What (of his memory) never improved with practice and what were the effects of this
His LTM.
HM read the same magazine repeatedly without remembering it. He couldn’t recall what he had eaten earlier that day
What did HM perform well in
Tests of immediate memory span (a measure of STM)
Evaluation: Artificial tasks (negative)
The model lacks REALISM - cannot be generalised to population and can’t be applied to real life
Evaluation: Oversimplifying LTM (negative)
MSM depicts just one type of LTM and doesn’t give details about the diff types; episodic, procedural, semantic.
Evaluation: Flow (positive)
Shows how memory FLOWS and works with diff stores
Evaluation: Fails to show memory in depth (negative)
Some stores do NOT travel from one store to the other
What is a major strength of MSM
It is supported by RESEARCH that show how STM and LTM are DIFFERENT eg: Baddeley’s study - shows that coding in STM = acoustic and coding in LTM = semantic
Other support: Jacobs, Miller, Peterson&Peterson
What is a weakness of MSM (KF)
MSM states: STM is a UNITARY STORE - however people with AMNESIA disagree
Who conducted a study using the participant KF
Shallice and Warrington
When was the KF study
1970
What did Shallice and Warrington find
KF’s STM for digits = POOR when read aloud TO HIM. His recall was better when he read the digits TO HIMSELF.
Suggests: there could even be another STM for non-verbal sounds (eg. noises)
Evaluation: MSM - ‘Unitary STM’
Research shows that at the very least, there MUST be one short term store to process VISUAL info and ANOTHER to process AUDITORY info
Evaluation: More than 1 type of rehearsal (negative)
According to MSM - the more you rehearse info (list of words) the more likely you are to transfer it to LTM and remember for LONG TIME. BUT - Craik and Watkins (1973) found this to be WRONG - what matters = TYPE OF REHEARSAL (not amount). Maintenance rehearsal (in MSM) doesn't transfer info into LTM, it only maintains it in STM ELABORATIVE REHEARSAL is needed for long-time storage - occurs when you link info to your existing knowledge or think of its meaning.
Evaluation: Artificial materials (negative)
Everyday life: form memories (ppl’s faces/names/facts/places). Research studies used digits/letters/words/consonant syllables that are MEANINGLESS
Evaluation: More than 1 type of LTM (negative)
Lots of research about how STM and LTM aren’t UNITARY STORES. Eg: we have 1 LTM store for our memories of facts about the world, and a different one for our memories of how to ride a bike.
These diff types of memory are episodic, procedural and semantic
Who conducted a study to investigate the duration of sensory memory
Sperling (1960)
What was Sperling’s procedure
P’s shown a letter - then after SHORT time interval - shown another letter
What were Sperling’s results
If time interval was less than 100 ms - SUPERIMPOSITION occurred eg: “F” then “L” becomes “E”
If time interval was MORE than 100 ms = DISPLACEMENT occurred eg: “F” then “L” becomes “L”
What was Sperling’s conclusion
Iconic store lasts for circa 100 ms - iconic store FORGETS by displacement
Who conducted a study to investigate the capacity of iconic memory
Averbach & Coriell (1961)
What was Averbach and Coriell’s procedure
P’s = shown 2 rows of 8 random letters for 50 ms - a small mark appeared over one letter position
P’s had to say which letter had been in this position
What were Averbach and Coriell’s results
Letter identification = 75% correct
What was Averbach and Coriell’s conclusion
12 letters can be held in iconic memory (75% of 16 letters shown)
