Weaknesses of theories in Cognitive

Question 1

Multi-Store Model of Memory - Weakness

Incomplete explanation of STM

Answer 1

The MSM does not fully explain how the STM works as it is over simplified and passive, whilst the Working Memory Model has three stores which may be more credible than the MSM as it includes active processes like problem solving.

Question 2

Multi-Store Model of Memory - Weakness

Incomplete explanation of procedural memory.

Answer 2

The multi-store model is incomplete as it does not account for the storage of procedural memory. HM was unaware that he was able to learn new procedural skills with practice showing long-term memory has a procedural store.

Question 3

Multi-Store Model of Memory - Weakness

Opposing study for the explanation of paying attention to information from the sensory register to STM.

Answer 3

Craik and Lockhart (1975) suggest that semantic memory is needed to remember information most accurately in the long term which is an alternative explanation of merely paying attention to something to move the information from the sensory register to the STM.

Question 4

Multi-Store Model of Memory - Weakness

Ignores individual differences

Answer 4

Describing memory as an input-process-output system is over simplistic and ignores individual differences in memory.

Question 5

Working Memory Model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974)

Weakness - addition of the episodic buffer

Answer 5

The 1974 model has been added to over time, so it may have been incomplete and inaccurate because the addition of an
episodic buffer in 2000 showed that the original version of the theory could not fully explain memory, and still may do so.

Question 6

Working Memory Model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974) - Weakness

Evidence to suggest the VSSP is not one store.

Answer 6

Smith and Jonides (1997) conducted PET scans which showed differences in brain activation during visual and spatial tasks, so
visuospatial sketchpad may not be one store.

Question 7

Bartlett’s Reconstructive Memory - Weakness

Yuille and Cutshall (1986) disagreed with the theory.

Answer 7

Yuille and Cutshall (1986) found that participants recall for a real life shooting was accurate even when leading questions were asked, so may not account for Louie remembering the film as a comedy, so disagreeing with the theory of reconstructive memory as Louie and Gus’s memories of the film were not altered so it cannot be an explanation for all our memories.

Change names and scenario according to the question given.

Question 8

Bartlett’s Reconstructive Memory (1932) - Weakness

Schemas changing memories

Answer 8

Axelrod (1973) argues that schema theory can only be used to explain changes in individuals and cannot account for how
changes to memory occurs in groups.

Question 9

Bartlett’s (1932) Reconstructive Memory

Weakness - rationalisation and artificial situations

Answer 9

Wynn and Logie (1998) found that in natural situations that memories are not added to over time so rationalisation may only
occur in artificial situations.

Question 10

Tulving’s (1972) Long Term Memory - Weakness

Objection study regarding the possibility of episodic memory not being a distinct store.

Answer 10

Squire and Zola (1998) suggest there is no support that episodic and semantic memory are affected differently in the medial temporal lobe so episodic memory may not be a distinct memory
store.

Question 11

Tulving’s (1972) Long Term Memory - Weakness

Objection study regarding separate memory stores.

Answer 11

Steyvers and Hemmer (2012) suggest that it is may not be possible to study both forms of memory separately as episodic memory relies on prior knowledge which is semantic so suggesting two separate stores may not be valid.