The multi-store model of memory Flashcards
Who proposed the multi-store model of memory?
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
What are the 3 components of the MSM?
- Sensory register
- Short term memory store
- Long term memory store
Describe the encoding, duration and capacity of the sensory register
Encoding: store for each sense (iconic store is visusal, echoic store is acoustic)
Duration: 1/2 of a second
Capacity: unlimited
How is information lost from the sensory register?
If no attention is paid to it
Describe the encoding, duration and capacity of the short term memory store
Encoding: acoustically
Duration: 18 - 30 seconds
Capacity: up to 9 items (7 ± 2)
How does information stay in the short term memory store?
Maintenance rehearsal (rehearsal loop)
How is information lost from the short term memory store?
Through displacement where info is swapped or replaced due to interference of memory or limited capacity
Describe the encoding, duration and capacity of the long term memory store
Encoding: semantically
Duration: infinite
Capacity: potentially unlimited
How is information lost from the long term memory store?
Through trace decay where memory gradually deteriorates over time
What is the recency effect?
Having better recall for items at the end of a list because they haven’t been displaced from STM yet as they have been there less time
What is the primacy effect?
Having better recall for items at the start of a list because they have been transferred into LTM so available for recall
What is a strength of the multi-store model of memory?
Supporting evidence Baddeley - PEE
P - Supporting evidence from research by Baddeley (1966a)
E - Baddeley found that we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using our STM but we mix up words that have similar meanings when we use our LTM. The encoding in STM is acoustic whereas the encoding in LTM is semantic
E - Therefore, this shows that STM and LTM are separate, independent stores but also that STM and LTM are different in terms of encoding which supports the idea of the multi-store model of memory
What is a strength of the multi-store model of memory?
Application - PEE
P - Has applications as it can be used to improve memory
E - Research has shown that the limited capacity of short-term memory can be increased through a process called ‘chunking’. For example, remembering a 10-digit phone number as ten individual chunks would exceed the limits of short-term memory, but remembering it as three chunks would be within the limit
E - Therefore, this demonstrates how knowledge of the memory system as represented in the MSM can be applied to practical ways of improving memory
What is a weakness of the multi-store model of memory?
Opposing evidence KF - PEE
P - Opposing evidence from the case study of KF
E - KF’s short-term memory for digits was poor when they were read out loud to him but his recall was much better when he was able to read the digits himself
E - Therefore, this shows that the multi-store model is not a full explanation of memory as there must be separate stores for visual and auditory information
