Structures of memory

• Sensory store

  Info that arrives through our senses is held here, stays for a short period and fades if we don't pay attention to it
• Short term memory store

  Has a very small capacity and new info pushes the old info out, if info is not rehearsed it is likely to be forgotten
• Long term memory store

  Has a very large capacity and info is stored here through rehearsal
• Coding

  1. Sensory store occurs the same way information is received

  2. STS codes acoustically

  3. LTS codes semantically
• Sensory store's capacity

  • Very limited
• STS capacity

  • Can hold up to 7 pieces of information
• LTS capacity

  • Can hold unlimited amounts of information
• Sensory store duration

  • Less than one second
• STS duration

  • Up to 30 seconds
• LTS duration

  • Unlimited
• Studies have proven the existence of the STS and LTS with the primary and recency effect
• Serial position effect

  The chance of remembering an item of information from a list depends on what position the information was on the list
• Info at the beginning of the list had time to be rehearsed and so was stored in LTS, and info at the end of the list is still held in the STS
• Multi-store model of memory

  The multistore model of memory  describes how infomation flows through each of the different memory stores

  
• According to the MSMOM model, all information must be rehearsed to enter the LTS however we know that this is not true as we can remember events such as what we had for breakfast this morning without rehearsal and the opposite is true in that we cannot always remember info that we have rehearsed, such as infomation for a test
• Rehearsal of information does not always help to recall it easier and instead it may be more effective to understand the meaning of info. Studies have shown that rehearsal which involves an elaboration of the material is more effective
• There is lots of research and case studies which demonstrate how the stores are separate and the differences in the coding,capacity and duration of each store
• The model has been criticised as being too simplistic such as evidence for there being different types of LTS. STM is also more complex as it is now understood as a concept called working memory which is an active store, holding auditory and visual info