A01 + A03

• Multi memory model


  was proposed by Atkinson &Shiffrin MSM describes a system for how memories are made and stored.

  There are three stores: Sensory register, Short-term memory, Long-term memory
• Sensory register

  The sensory register is where all sensory information from the environment passes into or is held - has 5 senses, including Iconic, Echoic and Haptic memory

  CODING - modality-specific

  DURATION - less than a sec

  CAPACITY - very high-

  Information passes further into the memory system only if you pay attention to it.
• STM

  CODING - mainly acoustically

  DURATION - 18-30 secs

  CAPACITY - 7+-2

  - STM is more of a temporary store.

  Maintenance rehearsal occurs when we repeat (rehearse) material to ourselves over and over again. It is kept in the STM as long as we rehearse it.

  Prolonged maintenance rehearsal allows the info to pass into the LTM.
• LTM

  Long-term memory is a permanent memory store of past events or items.

  CODING - semantically coded

  CAPACITY - unlimited

  DURATION - lifetime

  In order to remember info, 'retrieval' must occur, which is when information is transferred back into the STM, and will continue to pass through the maintenance loop afterwards.
• PRO A03 1 - research support

  Research support from studies shows that STM and LTM are different. Baddeley found that we tend to mix up words that are acoustically similar when we use our STM and mix up with semantically similar when we use our LTM. These studies clearly show that STM and LTM are separate as claimed from the MSM.
• Counterpoint


  However, these studiesoften use artificial materials(e.g., digits and consonant syllables) rather than meaningful everyday information.
• CON A03 2 - More than one STM store

  Evidence from Shallice and Warrington (1970) suggests that STM is not a single store.Their study on a patient with amnesia (KF)found thathis STM for digits was poor when read aloud but better when he read them himself.This suggests that there is different STM stores for verbal and non-verbal information.
• CON A03 3 - elaborative rehearsal

  The MSM states that prolonged rehearsal transfers information to LTM, but research challenges this. Craik and Watkins (1973) found that elaborative rehearsal(linking information to existing knowledge) is more important than just repetition. This suggests the MSM oversimplifies how information is transferred to LTM.