The Multi Store Model

• Who came up with the MSM?

  Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968
• What does the MSM contain?

  • stimulus from the environment goes to the sensory register
  • then to the short-term memory store by being attentive
  • For info to stay in the LTM, maintenance rehearsal needs to take place.
• What two stores are in the sensory register?

  Iconic (visual) and echoic (sounds)
• How long does the information last in sensory register?

  1-2 seconds
• STM has what type of capacity?

  Limited capacity
• How many items can the STM memory hold?

  5-9 items based on previous research.
• STM:

  • Information is coded acoustically
  • duration = 18-30 seconds
  • we need to rehearse information so it can be stored in the LTM.
• What capacity does the LTM have?

  Unlimited capacity, information in this store can last for a lifetime
• How is information coded in the LTM?

  Semantically coded
• We can use the process of retrieval to pass back information to the STM.
• Strength of the MSM = research support

  • Baddeley found we mix up words with similar sounds in our STM and those with similar meanings in our LTM.
  • Both stores have different characteristics
  • supports idea that they are unitary and independent stores
• Counterpoint:

  • Studies in support of this model use digits and words that are insignificant to everyday situations
  • syllables have no personal meaning
  • model not generalisable to our everyday lives
  • lacks mundane realism
• Limitation = there's more than one type of STM

  • KF (a patient who suffered brain damage)
  • tested his digit span by visually showing digits = better performance
  • when he had a verbal digit span test = he only recalled 2 digits
  • Memory is more complex than the MSM says
• Strength = neurobiological support

  • The prefrontal cortex is active during STM tasks
  • The hippocampus is active during LTM tasks
  • Depending on the task, it requires brain regions to activate
  • STM & LTM are independent stores