multi store model

• Atkinson and Shiffrin developed the multistore model
• the multi store model describes how information moves through memory system
• the multi store model suggests memory is made up of 3 stores linked by processing information
• multi store model

  A) short term memory

  B) maintenance rehearsal

  C) echoic

  D) attention

  E) retrieval

  F) sensory register

  G) visual

  
• information from environment is filtered through the sensory register, if information is processed it will then be sent to STM
• sensory register

  • coding - depends on what sense information is coming from (e.g. sound is closed acoustically)
  • capacity - large
  • duration - milliseconds
• if information does receive attention from one of the sensory store senses it is then transferred to STM
• to maintain information in STM there is maintenance rehearsal needed
• maintenance rehearsal is repetition of info to try and remember it over and over again
• short term memory

  • capacity - 7+/-2 items
  • coding - acoustic
  • duration - 18-30 seconds
• if information is rehearsed enough (prolonged rehearsal) then information will transfer into LTM
• to recall something from LTM an individual goes through retrieval (transfer back into STM)
• long term memory

  • capacity - unlimited
  • coding - semantic
  • duration - unlimited
• evaluation for multi store model - case study to support (HM)

  • research supporting STM + LTM being separate stores as suggested in MSM
  • case study of HM provides support - recieved operation for removal of hippocampus (cure epilepsy)
  • after surgery he couldtn create long term memories, his memory would only last duration of STM
  • overall strength of MSM is there being case study evidence to support model
  • CONTRADICTORY - case studies are idiographic meaning only focus on one individual - cannot be generalised to wide population
• evaluation for multi store model - support for model

  • in experiment participants would read list of 20 words and were asked to recall them from memory
  • found people remember words at beginning of list (primacy effect) - individuals able to rehearse and transfer to LTM)
  • people remember words from end of list (recency effect) - words not yet been lost from STM
  • experiment provides evidence as it supports how info moves from sensory register to STM and then to LTM
• evaluation for multi store model - other form of rehearsal for LTM

  • studies suggest may be more than one type of rehearsal for LTM
  • example - researchers found for info to transfer to LTM the type of rehearsal is important
  • maintenance rehearsal given in MSM may not be relevant for LTM because type of rehearsal only keeps information in STM not LTM
  • elaborative rehearsal could be seen as more appropriate
  • limitation to explanation because there is clear difference between elaborative and maintenance rehearsal which should have been justified
  • decreases reliability fo MSM
• elaborative rehearsal is a type of rehearsal needed for long term storage - was never described in MSM - limiting the explanation