The multi-store model of memory

• Outline the multi-store model of memory.


  The multi-store model of memory proposes that there are three separate memory stores including the sensory register, short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) and describes how information passes through these memory stores in a linear way.

  According to this model, environmental stimuli enter the sensory register which codes this information in a modality-specific way, has a very large capacity and a duration of 250ms.
• Outline the multi-store model of memory.


  If this information is paid attention to, it transfers to the STM which codes the information acoustically, has a limited capacity of 7+/-2 items, a duration of approximately 18-30 seconds.

  By engaging in the rehearsal loop, this information can be kept in STM however maintenance rehearsal (rehearsal over a longer period of time) will enable this information to transfer to LTM.
• Outline the multi-store model of memory.


  LTM codes the information semantically, has a potentially unlimited capacity and can last for potentially a lifetime.

  LTMs can be brought back into STM through retrieval.
• Evaluate the multi-store model of memory: supporting evidence. 


  Baddeley found that participants would confuse words in STM that sound similar (suggesting they are coded acoustically) while confusing words in LTM that have similar meanings (suggesting they are coded semantically). This is a strength because it supports the proposal that that these memory stores are coded differently and, if they are coded differently, also supports the proposal that they must be separate memory stores.
• Evaluate the multi-store model of memory: opposing evidence. 


  Research found that a patient had an impaired STM but an intact LTM. This is a limitation because although such findings support the claim that STM and LTM are separate stores, the MSM of memory proposes that information has to pass through the STM store to reach the LTM. This means that damage to their STM should have impaired their ability to transfer STMs into LTMs. As this was not the case, it questions the linear nature of the model.
• Evaluate the multi-store model of memory: overly simplified STM: overly simplified LTM.


  Research found that a patient known as Clive Wearing was able to remember how to play the piano but could not remember what he had done the day before. Suggests that LTM is also not a singular store (as proposed by this model).

  There must be different types of LTM e.g. procedural LTMs which refer to muscle-based memories (hence why he could remember how to play the piano) and episodic memories which refer to memories of personal events (why he was unable to recall what he had done the day before).
• Evaluate the multi-store model of memory: overly simplified the process of how STMs are transferred to LTMs. 


  This is because it proposes that the more STM is rehearsed, the more likely it is to transfer to LTM. There are many cases of students who read through their notes many times before an exam but still find it difficult to remember the information.

  Researchers have argued that maintenance rehearsal is therefore not sufficient to transfer STMs to LTMs. Researchers have argued that elaborative rehearsal is often required to transfer STMs to LTMs.