Memory

• Multi-store Model of memory


  Memory has three separate memory stores; the sensory store, short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM)
• Information processing in the Multi-store Model


  1. Information from environment enters sensory memory

  2. If attended to, enters STM

  3. Encoding in STM is acoustic (by sound)

  4. If rehearsed, transfers to LTM

  5. Encoding in LTM is semantic (meaningful)
• Multi-store Model


  • Information must pass through each stage in order for information to become an LTM
  • Capacity of STM is approximately 7 items
  • Duration of LTM is potentially forever
  • No limit to the capacity of LTM
• Wilson, Kopelman and Kapur (2008) found that Clive Wearing had the inability to transfer information from STM to LTM, because of the damage he had to his STM he couldn't form new LTMs
• The Multi-Store Model can be criticised for over emphasising the importance of rehearsal. Meaningful information such as your GCSE results or news of bereavement does not need rehearsal, the significant nature of the memory ensures it is processed without the need to rehearse it
• Theory of Reconstructive Memory


  We can forget things quite easily, we do not have complete memories and there are often gaps in what we recall. In order to make sense of events that have happened we fill in these gaps and reconstruct our memories using schemas (expectations based on previous knowledge and experience)
• Leading questions can distort memories. For example Loftus and Palmer (1974) found that by asking the question 'did you see the broken glass?' compared to 'did you see any broken glass?' can make witnesses of an accident believe that there was broken glass when in fact their wasn't
• Confabulation


  A memory disturbance where individuals will confidently, but inaccurately describe their memories. May be a result of a brain disorder, or as a result of being exposed to inaccurate post-event information, leading questions, or through forgetting whereby schemas help fill in the gaps
• Support for the Theory of Reconstructive Memory comes from Braun, Ellis and Loftus (2002) who found that including impossible events in autobiographical advertising can cause people to believe they have experienced the events
• Reducing memory recall to just problems with reconstruction is reductionist. Many other factors such as anxiety and age can contribute to recall, as can the factors in the acronym ADVOKATE used by police