Atkinson and shiffrin 1968 multi store model

• Atkinson and Shiffrin (N68) Multi store model

  Linear model of memory that proposes three distinct memory stores that have different characteristics: Sensory memory, short term memory, and long-term memory
• Memory


  1. Information comes from environment through 5 senses

  2. Stored briefly in sensory memory which lasts less than a second

  3. If attended to, flows into STM (short-term memory) which has a duration of up to 20 seconds

  4. If rehearsed, encoded in LTM (long-term memory) which has an unlimited duration

  5. Information can be retrieved from LTM and brought back into STM

  6. Information can be recalled from STM and brought into conscious mind

  7. Rehearsal loop stores up to 9 items and the more often information is logged through the STM, the more securely it is rehearsed
• Sensory memory


  • Sense-specific encoding, duration - very brief (less than a second), capacity - limited to one sensation
• Short-term memory (STM)


  • Mainly acoustic encoding, duration = 15-30 seconds, capacity - up to 9 (7 +/- 2) items
• Long-term memory (LTM)


  • Mainly semantic encoding, duration - unlimited, capacity - unlimited
• STM works mostly by acoustic encoding, LTM uses all encoding but favours semantic encoding
• Attention and rehearsal are key processes in transferring information from STM to LTM