Multi-store model

• What is the multi-store model?

  Describes how information flows through the memory system made up of 3 stores linked by processing
• who suggested the multi-store model?

  Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
• What are the three stores of the multi store model?

  Sensory memory

  Short term memory

  Long term memory
• What is the first process taking information to the Sensory memory?

  Environmental stimuli

  Eg/ Anything from the environment such as the sound of someone talking
• What happens to information in the Sensory memory register?

  The sensory register is the place where information is held at each of the senses

  Capacity= very large, over 100 million cells in each eye

  Duration= Very brief, less than half a second

  Coding= Iconic- visual information, Echoic- sound information
• How does information pass from the Sensory register to the STM register?

  Through attention
• What is attention?

  If a persons attention is focussed on one of the sensory stores, then the data is transferred to the STM. information passes further into the memory system only if you pay attention to it
• What happens to info after attention?

  Information passes into the short term memory
• what is the short term memory?

  Once process of attention it goes into STM

  Immediate memory tasks eg/ maths problems

  Capacity= limited 7 +/- 2 Jacobs

  Duration= limited 18 seconds Peterson & Peterson

  Coding= coded acoustically by sounds Baddeley
• What happens to info after the STM?

  Maintenance rehearsal occurs when we repeat info over and over again, prolonged rehearsal passes info to the LTM
• What is the Long term memory store?

  long term memory is events that happened in the past

  Capacity= unlimited lifetime Linton

  Duration=unlimited Bahrick

  Coding= semantically by meaning
• How is information passed back from the LTM to the STM?

  Retrieval

  All of our memories to be recalled they must be retrieved from the LTM
• AO3- Supporting evidence of the multi-store

  E- case study of HM, brain surgery to correct his epilepsy, hippocampus removed, he couldn't form new long-term memories eg/ reading the same magazine everyday and not remembering it, but he could perform immediate memory eg/ procedural

  E/L- Therefore, this suggest that it clearly shows the STM and LTM are separate and independent memory stores as claimed by multi-store backing it up as an explanation of how our memory works- more reliable
• AO3- Limitation of multi store model- Research methodologically flawed

  E- Lab experiments, highly controlled, Jacobs and Baddeley used artificial word lists that wouldn't be used in everyday life

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that can't generalise the findings to everyday life lacking ecological validity
• AO3- Another strength of multi store- further support

  E- Baddeley found we tend to mix up words that sound similar when we are using our STM, but mixing up words that have similar meaning when using LTM.

  E/L- Therefore this suggests that it shows that the STM and LTM are different, separate and independent memory stores as claimed by multi store model backing it up making it more reliable
• AO3- Limitation of multi store- Use of case studies means research methods are flawed

  E- limitation of case studies is that they are a very small sample size, using unique, atypical individuals which have their own individual differences

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that can't generalise the findings, reducing validity
• AO3- Limitation of Multi store model- underestimates rehearsal role

  E- Craik & Watkins found that the type of rehearsal is more important than the amounts. Elaborative rehearsal is needed for long-term storage, when you link the info to your existing knowledge.

  E/L- Therefore this suggests that it undermines research and the model may be more complex, so undermines the model as an explanation of how memory works
• AO3- Limitation of Multi store model- oversimplified

  E- Tulving suggested that we have more than 1 type of long term memory

  E/L- Therefore, this suggests that the model is too simplistic and needs to take into account alternative explanations to get a full understanding of how memory works