Muti-store model of memory

• The multi-store model of memory

  The MSM distinguishes between the separate stores of sensory, short-term and long-term memory and describes how information passes through these memory stores in a linear/sequential way. It comprises of The sensory register, The STM and The LTM.

  
• The sensory register

  the first and most immediate form of memory we have. This takes in sensory information through the five senses. The sensory register therefore holds what you can currently see, hear, smell, taste and touch. If this sensory information is paid attention to, it is transferred from the sensory register to short-term memory.
• Short-term memory (STM)

  holds a small amount of information in mind in an active, readily available state. It is the information we are currently aware of or thinking about. Maintenance rehearsal in STM occurs when we rehearse (repeat) material to ourselves over and over again. This will keep the information in our STM via the rehearsal loop but if it is rehearsed for long enough it passes into LTM.
• Long-term memory (LTM)

  holds memories indefinitely. LTMs can be brought back into STM through retrieval (e.g. when recalling a memory from your childhood).
• Coding

  The way in which information is stored in memory e.g. acoustically (by how it sounds), visually (by how it looks) or semantically (by what it means). For example, imagine you are thinking of a doughnut. You can code this acoustically by repeating the word aloud, you can code it visually by thinking about what a doughnut looks like, or you can code it semantically by applying meaning to it e.g. doughnuts are Homer’s favourite food.
• Capacity

  The amount of information that can be held in memory. The greater the capacity, the more amount of information that can be held in memory.
• Duration

  The amount of time information can be held fornin memory
• The sensory register: coding, capacity and duration

  • Coding = Modality specific. This means that information is stored in a raw, unprocessed form with separate sensory stores for our different senses. For example, the iconic store is where visual information is coded visually while the echoic store is where auditory information is coded acoustically (by sound).
  • Capacity = Potentially unlimited
  • Duration = Very brief - approximately 250 milliseconds
• Who conducted the sensory register research in 1960?

  Sperling
• What were the two tasks participants performed in Sperling's sensory register research?

  • Task 1: Recall letters from a 3x4 grid after 50 milliseconds.
  • Task 2: Recall specific rows of letters indicated by tones.
• In Task 1 of Sperling's experiment, how many letters could participants typically remember?

  1. 5 out of the 12 letters
• What was the average number of letters recalled from the indicated row in Task 2?

  3 out of the 4 letters
• What do the findings of Task 2 suggest about the sensory register's capacity?

  • Participants recalled 3 out of 4 letters.
  • Suggests a large capacity for processing information in the sensory register.
• What does the quick fading of information in Task 1 indicate about the duration of sensory information?

  It suggests a short duration of sensory information.
• What was the format of the grid used in Task 1 of Sperling's experiment?

  A 3x4 grid containing 12 letters
• How did Sperling instruct participants to recall letters in Task 2?

  By using specific tones for each row of letters.
• What conclusion can be drawn from the results of Task 1 and Task 2 regarding sensory memory?

  Task 2 indicates a large capacity, while Task 1 shows a short duration of sensory information.