Multi-store model

• What is the multi-store model of memory?

  • Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968-71) proposed a system for how information flows through 3 stores linked by processing
  • Environmental stimuli -> sensory register -> attention -> short-term memory -> prolonged maintenance rehearsal -> <- retrieval -> long-term memory

  
• What is the coding, capacity, and duration of the sensory register?

  • Where all sensory information from the environment is held or passed through, comprising of 5 sensory memory stores for each sense
  • Coding is modality-specific (depends on the sense) e.g. visual coding is iconic memory, acoustic coding is echoic memory
  • Duration is less than 1/2 a second
  • Very high capacity - information from SR only passes to STM if it is paid attention to
• What is the coding, capacity, and duration of the short-term memory?

  • Coded mainly acoustically, duration of about 18 seconds unless information is rehearsed
  • Capacity is 7 +/2 items
  • Maintenance rehearsal: repeating information to ourselves over and over again, if long enough information will pass into our long-term memory
• What is the coding, capacity, and duration of the long-term memory?

  • Coded mostly semantically, duration may last up to a lifetime
  • When we want to recall information from the LTM it has to be transferred back into the STM by retrieval
• What is one strength of the multi-store model of memory?

  • Research support for 2 distinct stores: HM suffered from epilepsy and underwent a hippocampus removal neurosurgery - after this he could not form new long-term memories but his STM was functioning normally
  • Other studies like Baddeley (1966) show that the STM and LTM are clearly separate and independent memory stores, supporting MSM's predictions
• What is one limitation of the multi-store model of memory?

  • Evidence for more than one STM store: Shallice and Warrington (1970) studied KF who had a memory disorder called amnesia
  • KF's short-term memory was poor when digits were read out loud to him but higher when he read the digits to himself
  • Evidence suggests MSM is wrong in claiming that there is just 1 STM store -> HOWEVER data may be idiographic and not applicable to everybody due to his memory disorder
• What is another limitation of the multi-store model of memory?

  • Elaborative rehearsal: MSM says the more you rehearse something the more likely it is to transfer to your LTM
  • Craik and Watkins (1973) said the type of rehearsal is more important - elaborative rehearsal occurs when you link information to your existing knowledge or think about its' meaning
  • Means information can be transferred to LTM without prolonged rehearsal, suggesting MSM does not fully explain how LTM storage is achieved
• What is another limitation of the multi-store model of memory?

  • Oversimplified: evidence suggests there are multiple long-term memory stores such as one for our memories of facts about the world and one for memories of how to do things
  • Combined with research that there is more than one type of STM and different types of rehearsal, MSM is an oversimplified model of memory