2. MSM

• What is the multi-store model?

  • Atkinson and Shiffrin's MSM describes how information flows through the memory system. It is a linear model that suggests memory is made up of three stores linked by processing
• Sensory register

  • Stimuli from the environment passes into the sensory register
  • Compromises several registers - one for each of our five senses
  • Coding in each store is modality specific and depends on the sense eg. coding iconically for iconic memory and coding acoustically for echoic memory
  • Duration is less than 0.5 seconds
  • High capacity
  • Attention is a key process
• Short term memory (STM)

  • Coded acoustically
  • Duration is about 18 seconds unless rehearsed
  • Temporary store
  • Limited capacity of 7 items +/- 2
  • Cowan - we might only be able to remember 5 items
  • Maintenance rehearsal occurs when we repeat material over and over again - if we rehearse info long enough it passes into our LTM
• Long term memory (LTM)

  • Permanent store for repeatedly rehearsed information
  • Coded semantically
  • Duration can last up to a lifetime
  • When we recall from LTM it has to be transferred back into STM by a process called retrieval
• Strength - clearly seperates STM and LTM as two different stores

  • Baddely found we mix up words that sound similar when we use our STMs whereas we mix up words with similar meanings when we use our LTMs. Further support comes from Bahrick and Peterson and Peterson
  • Shows that STM and LTM are indepedent memory stores which supports the MSM
• Counterpoint - studies of memory do not reflect every day life

  • Recall of places, names and facts are not used so studies lack ecological validity as they use artificial material such as digits
  • MSM may lack validity in how our memory works in every day life where we have to remember more meaningful info
  • Thus, it is questionable if we can generalise findings beyond research studies
• Limitation - evidence of more than one STM store

  • Shallice and Warrington studied a patient called KF who had amnesia and his STM for digits was very poor when read out to him. But his recall was much better when he read them out to himself, showing there could be another STM store for non-verbal sounds eg. noises
  • Suggests MSM is incorrect in claiming there is just one STM store
• Limitation - prolonged rehearsal is not needed for transfer to LTM

  • Craik and Watkins found that the type of rehearsal is more important than the amount
  • Elaborate rehearsal is needed for long term storage which is when you link the information to your existing knowledge or you think about what it means
  • This means information can be transferred without prolonged rehearsal. MSM does not fully explain how long term storage is achieved
• Strength - support for MSM and that STM and LTM are two separate stores

  • Glanzier and Cunitz researched the serial position effect, pps had to learn a list of words that were presented one at a time and free recall them.
  • It was found that words at the end of the list (STM) were recalled first, otherwise known as the recency effect.
  • Words at the beginning of the list (LTM) were also recalled well, known as the primary effect and words in the middle were not recalled very well