The multi-store model of memory

Question 1

What is the multi-store model?

Answer 1

Representation of how memory works in terms of three stores (sensory register, STM and LTM)

Question 2

Who developed the MSM?

Answer 2

Atkinson and Shiffrin

Question 3

What does the sensory register consist of?

Answer 3

• Echoic memory
• Iconic memory
• Other sensory stores

Question 4

What does the sensory register do?

Answer 4

All stimuli from environment passes into the sensory register

Question 5

How is the sensory register coded?

Answer 5

• Iconic: visually coded
• Echoic: acoustically coded

Question 6

What is the duration of the sensory register?

Answer 6

Very brief: less than half a second

Question 7

What is the capacity of the sensory register?

Answer 7

Very high capacity

Question 8

How is information in the STM coded?

Answer 8

Acoustically coded

Question 9

What is the duration of the STM?

Answer 9

18 seconds

Question 10

What is the capacity of the STM?

Answer 10

Between 5 and 9 pieces of information (7 + or - 2)

Question 11

What is the function of the STM?

Answer 11

A temporary store of memory

Question 12

What is maintenance rehearsal?

Answer 12

Occurs when we repeat material to ourselves over and over. We keep info in our STM as long as we rehearse it. If we rehearse it long enough, it passes to our LTM

Question 13

How is information in the LTM coded?

Answer 13

Semantically coded

Question 14

What is the duration of the LTM?

Answer 14

Up to a lifetime

Question 15

What is the capacity of the LTM?

Answer 15

Unlimited capacity

Question 16

What is the function of the LTM?

Answer 16

Long term memory store

Question 17

How does retrieval happen?

Answer 17

Information from the LTM has to be transferred back to the STM

Question 18

What is the study of HM?

Answer 18

• His hippocampus was removed during brain surgery
• He could not form new long term memories
• But, his short term memory was strong

Question 19

STRENGTH- Separate stores

Answer 19

I= research support shows STM and LTM are separate
D= Baddeley found we mix up similar sounding words using STM and words with similar meanings using LTM
E= shows that STM and LTM are separate and independent memory stores

Question 20

What are the limitations of the MSM?

Answer 20

• Artificial situation in studies
• More than one STM store
• Prolonged rehearsal not needed (elaborative)
• Evidence shows there are separate types of LTM

Question 21

LIMITATION- Artificial situation

Answer 21

I= Studies lack realism and use artificial situations
D= Lack of meaningful information in studies: digits/letters (Jacobs), words (Baddeley), consonant syllables (Peterson and Peterson)
E= MSM is an invalid model of how memory works in everyday life

Question 22

LIMITATION- More than one STM store

Answer 22

I= Evidence suggests there is more than one STM store
D= Shallice and Warringtons studied KF (amnesia). KF’s STM for digits read aloud was poor, but STM for digits he read to himself was strong
E= Suggests MSM is wrong in claiming there is only one STM store

Question 23

LIMITATION- Elaborative rehearsal

Answer 23

I= Prolonged rehearsal is not needed for transfer to LTM
D= MSM states the more you rehearse something, the more likely it is to transfer to LTM. Craik and Watkins suggest type of rehearsal is more important. Elaborative rehearsal is needed for LTM storage- link information to existing knowledge
E= MSM does not fully explain how long term storage is achieved

Question 24

LIMITATION- Separate stores of LTM

Answer 24

I= evidence suggests that LTM is not a single store
D= LTM consists of 3 types: episodic, semantic, procedural
E= MSM is an oversimplified model of memory