Multi Store Model

• Multi Store Model states 3 things


  There are 3 unitary stores

  Memory is passive

  Model of memory is linear
• The 3 unitary stores are the sensory register , short term memory and long term memory
• Information from the sensory register goes into the short term memory if it is paid attention to
• If information isn't attended to then it will decay from the sensory register
• In the short term memory , information can either be displaced due to limited capacity or decay if it is not rehearsed
• This rehearsal helps maintain the information in the short term memory and if this becomes prolonged rehearsal then it is likely to be transferred to the long term memory
• If the information is not prolonged but occurs to keep information in the short term memory , this is called maintenance rehearsal
• From the long term memory , information can decay meaning you simply forget it , undergo retrieval failure or be interfered with
• Information goes from the long term memory into the short term memory ( remembering ) through retrieval
• Glanzer and Cunitz found evidence that the short and long term memories are separate

  • Asked participants to free recall word lists in any order
  • Recall was much stronger for words at the start and at the end of the lists
  • Results suggests there are separate short and long term memory stores
  • Due to first words going to long term memory - primacy effect - and most recent words held in short term memory - recency effect
  • Middle words were in short term memory but displaced by following words
• Baddeley's Coding Research

  • Gave 4 lists of 10 words to four participant groups
  • A and B - Acoustically Similar / Dissimilar
  • C and D - Semantically Similar / Dissimilar

  Found that immediate recall was worst for list A and recall after 20 minutes was worst with List C

  This suggests coding in short term memory is acoustic and coding in long term memory is semantic as recalling the corresponding lists was most difficult due to confusion in recall