The multi-store model of memory Flashcards
What are the 4 features of the sensory store in the Multi-Store Model?
Encoding: In raw form
Capacity: Unlimited
Duration: 1-2 seconds - continuous information flows into it
Transfers info to STM if attention given - decays otherwise
What are the 4 features of the STM in the Multi-Store Model?
Encoding: Acoustic
Capacity: 5-9 items
Duration: 30 seconds
Transfers information to LTM if it is rehearsed - decay or displacement occurs otherwise
What are the 6 features of the LTM in the Multi-Store Model?
Encoding: Semantic - through meaning
Capacity: Unlimited
Duration: Unlimited
The more information is rehearsed in the STM, the longer it is retained in the LTM
Information can be retrieved to STM and outputted
LTM info can be forgottent through: decay, retrieval failure and interference
What are the 2 supporting studies and 2 refuting arguments that support the MSM as an explanation of memory?
Supporting:
Glanzer & Cunitz
Clive Wearing and HM
Refuting:
KF case study
Craik and Lockhart’s levels of processing theory
How does Glanzer & Cunitz support the MSM as an explanation of memory? (5 points)
Participants asked to remember a series of words - could recall first and last few items but found ones in middle difficult to remember
Primacy effect - first items are stored in LTM as capacity was enough (5-9 items) to rehearse and transfer to LTM
Recency effect - last words are still in STM (seen less than 30 seconds)
No recency effect when inference task is given - displaced/decayed items from STM
Validates that there are distinct and separate stores
How do the Clive Wearing and HM case studies support the MSM? (3 points)
Clive Wearing suffered from the herpes encephalitis virus inside his brain - became an anterograde amnesiac due to hippocampus damage
HM contracted the same condition after surgery to correct epilepsy but he appeared to have a normal STM
Only HM’s transfer processes ceased - validates the concept of a transfer process between distinct and separate STM and LTM stores
How does the KF case study refute the MSM as an explanation of memory? (3 points)
Complexity of processes involved undescribed - assumes single unitary store
KF - suffered brain damage in motorcycle accident; memory for visual info largely unaffected but had trouble with verbal information in STM
Shows that there are separate STM components - the MSM is reductionist
How does Craik and Lockhart’s levels of processing theory refute the MSM as an explanation of memory? (4 points)
It states that information is remembered if it’s meaningful/emotional - deep processing (meaning) better than shallow processing (physical) in retaining LTM memories
This challenges the MSM, which suggests that information has to be rehearsed to be retained in LTM
Renders the MSM reductionist - doesn’t take emotional significance of material to individuals into account
