The multi-store model of memory

Question 1

Who proposed the multi-store model of memory?

Answer 1

Atkinson & Shiffrin

Question 2

What is the MSM a representation of?

Answer 2

how information flows through the memory system in terms of three stores; sensory register, STM & LTM

Question 3

Explain how information flows in the MSM

Answer 3

Question 4

What is the role of the sensory register?

Answer 4

• stimuli from environment passes into the sensory register
• there are memory stores for each of our five senses (coding in each store is modality specific)

Question 5

What is the store coding for visual information and acoustic?

Answer 5

iconic memory=visual
echoic memory=acoustic

Question 6

What is the duration and capacity of the SR’s?

Answer 6

duration = less 0.5 seconds
capacity=large

Question 7

outline capacity, duration and coding of STM

Answer 7

coding=acoustically
duration=up to 18 secs
capacity =limited (7+-2 items)

Question 8

What is maintenance rehearsal?

Answer 8

repeating material to ourselves over and over again to keep information in our STM’s

Question 9

outline capacity, coding, duration of the LTM

Answer 9

capacity=unlimited
coding=semantically
duration=lifetime

Question 10

How can information be permanent in LTM?

Answer 10

through prolonged rehearsal

Question 11

How can we recall information from LTM to STM?

Answer 11

process called retrieval

Question 12

How does Baddeley’s study support that the STM & LTM are different stores?

Answer 12

• Baddeley found we mix up words that sound similar when using our STMs
• but mix up words with similar meanings when we use our LTMs
• show how STM and LTM are separate & independent memory stores as claimed by the MSM

Question 13

What is a counterpoint to the strength about supporting studies? (Baddeley)

Answer 13

• studies that support the MSM used artificial stimuli (give examples of the studies & what they used Jacob etc) instead of meaningful material
• MSM may not be a valid model of how memory works in everyday lives

Question 14

How does Shallice & Warrington study refute MSM?

Answer 14

• limitation of MSM= evidence of more than one STM store
• S & W studied patient KF who had amnesia
  -KF’s STM for digits was poor when read out loud to him, but recall better when he read the digits to himself
  .> suggest STM is not a unitary store

Question 15

What is the limitation of the MSM in terms of its idea of prolonged rehearsal?

Answer 15

• prolonged rehearsal not needed for transfer to the LTM
• According to MSM what matters about rehearsal is the amount of it
  -Craik & Watkinson say elaborative rehearsal is needed for LTM storage (linking information to your existing knowledge)
• MSM does not fully explain how LTM storage is achieved