Memory Theories 1/3 (MSM, WMM & classical study)

Define Coding

format or ‘type’ of information stored in each memory store

Define Capacity

volume of information/data which can be kept in any memory store at any one time

Define Duration

amount of time that information can be stored in each memory store

Describe the Multi-Store Model of Memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968)

there are 3 stores to the memory:

sensory register:

• Receives and briefly holds sensory information from the environment, unless attention is paid to it (& moved to the STM). Each sense has its own store.

short term memory:

• Temporarily stores information that is attended to. Has a limited capacity (7±2) and duration (up to 30s). Information is maintained through rehearsal, otherwise it’s likely to decay or be displaced.

long term memory:

• A potentially unlimited store for information that has been rehearsed and encoded. Information can be stored for long periods, possibly indefinitely.

Evaluate the strengths of the Multi-Store Model of Memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968)

It has a theoretical basis:

Developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin based on a wide range of memory experiments, establishing a foundational theory for memory research.

It has supporting evidence:

• Research by Miller (1956) supports the idea of limited capacity in STM

• Peterson and Peterson (1959) showed that STM has a limited duration without rehearsal.

• Case studies, such as Henry Molaison and Olive Wearing demonstrate distinct stores (intact STM but impaired LTM)

Foundational Contribution:

clear framework that inspired further research into memory

Clear Structure:

simplicity and linear structure makes it easy to understand and test

Evaluate the weaknesses of the Multi-Store Model of Memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968)

Oversimplification:

• reduces memory processing into 3 stages

• assumes unitary stores for STM and LTM which is challenged by research like Baddeley & Hitch and Tulving

• assumes memory is linear (reducing ecological validity) but the schema theory challenges that

Role of rehearsal:

emphasizes rehearsal as main way information is transferred to LTM but lacks distinction between different types of rehearsal, and doesn’t show how other factors like emotional significance influence memory storage.

Focus on structure over process:

neglects dynamic nature of memory processes like how information is actively reconstructed in retrieval.

Reductionist:

Doesn’t account for individual differences or how external factors influence memory.

Describe the Working Memory Model (Baddeley & Hitch 1974)

It is an explanation of short-term memory (STM) as an active system for temporarily holding and manipulating information.

1. Central Executive

   The control system that directs attention and allocates resources to the other components. Limited capacity and responsible for problem-solving and decision-making.

2. Phonological Loop

   Processes auditory Information

   Has 2 parts, the phonological store -inner ear (holds spoken words for 1-2s) and the articulatory control system -inner voice (rehearses information to keep it in the loop)

3. Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad

   Handles visual and spatial information -inner eye

   Used for tasks like navigation and imagining visual layouts.

4. Episodic Buffer

   Integrates information from different sources, including LTM, into a single episodic representation.

   Has a limited capacity and acts as a temporary store.

Evaluate the strengths of the Working Memory Model

• doesn’t oversimplify

  • explains the STM in terms of both temporary storage and active processing

  • incorporates verbal rehearsal as just 1 optional process within the articulatory loop

  • WMM can account for individual differences in memory processes

• supporting evidence

  • it’s possible to apply the model to previous research data (acoustic confusion effect, digit span) and reinterpret it within the framework of working memory

  • accounts for findings that are difficult for MSM to explain

  • applied to various real life settings cause there’s a higher correlation between working memory span and performance on various tasks

Evaluate the weaknesses of the Working Memory Model

• central executive

  • No one actually knows what it is. Some psychologists think that its explanation is too vague. Critics feel that it may actually be several individual components and not one.

• WMM doesn’t offer a complete understanding of how memory works

• Cowan (1998) suggested that to explain abilities like text comprehension, there should also encompass some kind of long-term memory activation

• Berz (1995) criticized the model for failing to account for musical memory because we are able to listen to instrumental music without impairing performance on other acoustic tasks

what was the aim of Baddeley (1966) experiment?

test whether LTM was encoded acoustically or semantically

who were the participants of Baddeley (1966) experiment?

72 ppt recruited by opportunity sampling

what was the hypothesis in Baddeley (1966) experiment?

participants were provided with different word lists that either sounded similar (encoded acoustically) or meant similar things (encoded semantically).

what was the procedure of Baddeley (1966) experiment?

Each of the four groups was shown a slideshow including 10 words. The words were displayed for 3 seconds each.

• Acoustically similar words

• Acoustically dissimilar words

• Semantically similar words

• Semantically dissimilar words

To control for difficulty, all words were simple. After the learning phase, participants completed an interference task involving hearing and writing numbers before a recall test. In the test, participants recalled the words and their order, repeating the process four times. After the fourth trial, participants took a break and completed another unrelated interference task. Unexpectedly, they were then asked to recall the words again.

what was the results of Baddeley (1966) experiment?

• Acoustically similar words were harder to recall than acoustically dissimilar words

• Semantically similar words were harder to recall than semantically dissimilar words

• Performance was overall better on the semantic condition than on the acoustic one.

what was the conclusion of Baddeley (1966) experiment?

• LTM is encoded semantically; performance on the fifth condition was better for the semantic condition than for the acoustic one

• STM encoding is acoustic; cause the performance on the short-term conditions (trials 1-3) was worse for semantically similar words.

Evaluate the Baddeley (1966)’s experiment

Strengths:

• study is easily replicable so it presents high reliability

• use of interference task to make sure he was assessing the LTM increased validity

• beneficial implications for real-life scenarios like revision techniques for students

Weaknesses:

• tested on british students so it doesn’t consider cross-cultural differences limiting it’s generalizability

• the participants aren’t representative of the population limiting generalizability

• laboratory study so low ecological validity