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

What is the 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

What is the 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

What is a strength of the MSM?

Answer 12

• research to support
• 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?

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

What is a limitation of the MSM?

Answer 14

• limitation of MSM= evidence of more than one STM store
• Shallice & Warrington 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 another limitation of the MSM?

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