Multi-store model

A01-Multi-store model of memory

• Proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968,1971).

  Describes how information moves through the memory system.

  Suggests that memory is made up of three stores linked by processing.

A01- Sensory model

• receives information from any sense

• Can be divided into subsystems

• Coding – information is coded depending on what sense it is coming from e.g. sound is coded acoustically. Modality Specific.

• Duration – very short (milliseconds).

• Capacity – very large

A01-Short-term memory

• If information does receive attention in one of the sensory stores, it is then transferred to short-term memory.

• In order to try and maintain information in STM, an individual may engage in maintenance rehearsal – they repeat the information to try and remember it over and over again.

• Coding – mainly acoustic.

• Capacity – 7 +/- 2.

• Duration – 18-30 seconds.

A01-Long-term memory

• If information is rehearsed enough (prolonged rehearsal), then information will transfer into LTM.

• Coding – mainly semantic.

• Capacity – unlimited.

• Duration – unlimited.

In order to recall something from LTM, an individual goes through the process of retrieval – they transfer the information back to their STM.

A03-Brain scan report

• Larry Squire (2009) reviewed neuroimaging studies that compared the brain areas associated with STM and LTM. The overall results indicated that the prefrontal cortex is significantly active during tasks involving STM.

A03-Simplicity of Model

• However alternative models suggest that both STM and LTM are actually divided into multiple qualitatively different stores.

• Tim Shallice and Elizabeth Warrington (1970) studied KF who developed amnesia (loss of memory) after being involved in a motorcycle accident.

• KF's STM for digits was very poor when they were read out loud to him. But his recall was much better when he read the digits to himself.

A03-research support

• Research support for the idea of long-term memory and short-term memory being different and separate stores was provided by the Baddeley

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• He found that acoustically similar words were harder to record immediately and somatically. Similar words were harder to record after 20 minutes.

A03-artificial stimulus

• Use this meaningless words, which people don’t usually use in real life so this experiment lacks mundane realism