memory

all memory

memory

the process by which information is coded, stored and retrial

who proposed the multi- store model

affrikitson and shiffrin

what did affriktson and shiffrin say about the multi store model

describes memory as a flow of information through a liner system, information is passed on sequentially.

what are the multi store models three stores

-sensory register

-short-term memory

-long term memeory

what is coding

refers to the way memory is stored and organised in memory

what is duration

refers to the length of time information is held in memory

what is capacity

refers to the amount of time information is held in the memory store

what is the sensory register

information enters the memory through the sensory register,

this has an unknown but potentially unlimited capacity.

this has a duration of 250m/s

its coding is modality specific through are senses,

information must be paied attention to for it to be passed on to the short term memeory

what is the short term memory

-the short term memory has a duration of 18 seconds (peterson and peterson)

-the capacity is said to be 7+-2 chunks (jacobs + miller)

-the coding is said to be acoustic (baddley)

what is the long term memory

if information is rehearsed it is said to be passed on to the long term memory.

the duration is said to be a lifetime (Bharick)

the coding is said to be semantic, (baddley)

the capacity is said to be unlimited

miller

aim to find out the capacity of stm,

used literature review public investigations into perception and memory in the 1930s to 1950s

-memeory is made up of 7+2 chunks of information

organisation/encoding of information can help increase the amount stored by chunking it

peterson and peterson - duration of stm

aimed to investigate how long information lasts in the short term memory

-24 male and female uni students, set to learn 48 triagrams of nonsense sylables known as triagrams.

-once learnt before recalling asked to count backwards from 3 from a random number for a duration of time to prevent rehersal. asked to recall after 3sec,6,9 ect.

-the longer the intival the poorer recall- at 3 seconds 80% recall accuracy

-at 18 only 10 percent

-stm- is only 18secs and when information cannot be rehersed it is lost

Bahrick- LTM

-investigate the duration of LMT

-used 392 american uni grads and gave them there yearbooks, asked to match people in their class to their names

-90% of people could remeber everyone 14 years on with 60% remembering 47 years on.

-idea that ltm is semanticaly coded and can last up to an item

Baddley- coding of LMT and STM

-Participants were given lists of words to learn that were either:

• Acoustically similar (e.g., cat, mat, hat)

• Acoustically dissimilar 

• Semantically similar (e.g., big, large, huge)

• Semantically dissimilar

To test STM, participants had to recall the words immediately after presentation.

To test LTM, participants had to recall the words after a 20-minute delay.

-stm- particaprents did worse with aucosticaly similar words- stm aucosticaly coded

-ltm- particapents did worse with semantically similar words- ltm semanticaly coded

STRENGTHS OF MSM

-case study support-

clive wearning has case study support, supports the msm- after contracting a virus he has issues retaining new information with only being able to retain info for 20-30 seconds. but had no issue recalling old information. this supports the idea of memory being made up of separate stores.

-evidence from brain scans-

-evidence shows diffrent parts of memory are active when different tasks are being done. for example- stm hippocampus and ltm- motor cortex. this suggests diffrent brain regions are responsible for memory

Limitations of the MSM

-artificial tasks and environment, much of the supporting reaserch is carried out in artificial enviroments with artifical tasks, eg baddley- people will not normaly be asked to recall nonsense triagrams, but rather raw and meaningful information.

• The MSM takes a nomothetic approach, trying to create a universal model to explain the process of human memory. An idiographic, individual approach that uses examples of real-life remembering may result in a more complex (and arguably more accurate) picture of memory.

what is the working memory model.

proposed by baddley and hitch

proposed the idea of a unity stm

more complex and active than the msm

focuses on temporary storage and manipulation

the central executive

-the control center of the system.

-dirrects attention and allocates tasks to the other components

-limited capacity, modality free

-no stroage information

phonological loop

-subdivided into the

phonological store- inner ear the words you hear

articulary reheral process- inner voice allows maintance rehersal

limited capacity- 2 seconds

visiospactical sketchpad

subdivided into the

-visual chashe- stores visual data

-inner scribe- processes spatial/arrangement of infor

limited capactiy

episodic buffer

-added in the 2000.

-intergrates all information from all components and LTM

-temporary storage system

-allows binding of information into episodes

-limited capacity

supporting evidence- dual task studies

-Baddeley & Hitch (1976) found people could complete reasoning tests and repeat digits simultaneously with little difficulty.

Baddeley et al. (1975) found that it is harder to do two visual tasks than a visual and verbal task together.

supporting evidence KF

• KF suffered brain damage after a motorbike accident.

• He demonstrated poor verbal STM, but his visual STM remained intact following the accident.

• This suggests that there are separate verbal and visual stores in memory, and that KF may have suffered from damage/dysfunction in the phonological loop. 

STRENTHS OF THE MSM

• Positive implications: The WMM helps to explain learning difficulties: e.g., children with dyslexia often show problems with the phonological loop, which can affect reading and spelling. This practical application in education and clinical settings shows the WMM’s usefulness,

• Evidence from brain scans: Brain scans show that different working memory tasks activate different brain areas. Verbal tasks use the left hemisphere, while visual-spatial tasks use the right hemisphere. This supports the idea of separate subsystems in working memory and adds biological validity to the model.

LIMITATIONS OF THE MSM

• Central executive is under-researched: Baddeley admitted it is “the most important but least understood component.” There is little evidence about how it works or its capacity. Without a clear understanding of the central executive, it is difficult to test or measure it, which reduces the model's testability.

• Reliance on lab studies: Much of the supporting evidence for the WMM (e.g., dual-task experiments) comes from laboratory settings. These studies often use artificial tasks, like repeating digits or tracking lights, which may not reflect real-world memory use.