The multi store model of memory

What are the key components of the multi store model?

Sensory register - STM - LTM

What goes in to the sensory register?

All stimuli from the environment

What are the 2 main sensory stores in the sensory register?

Iconic

Echoic

What is the coding of the iconic sensory store and what type of info does it store?

Visual

Visual info

What is the coding of the echoic sensory store and what type of info does it store?

Acoustic

Auditory info

What is the capacity of the sensory register?

Very high

What is the duration of the sensory register?

Less than half a second

What is the key process for information to pass from the sensory register to the STM?

Attention

What is the coding of the STM?

Acoustic

What is the capacity of the STM?

7 ± 2

What is the duration of the STM?

18 seconds unless info is rehearsed

What is the key process for information to pass from the STM to the LTM?

Maintenance rehearsal

What is the coding of the LTM?

Semantic

What is the capacity of the LTM?

Unlimited

What is the duration of the LTM?

Unlimited

What is the key process to recall information from the LTM?

Retrieval

A03 Strength: Research support showing STM and LTM are different

Baddeley found that we tend to mix up words that sound similar when using our STM - STM is acoustic

We mix up words that have similar meanings when we use our LTM - LTM is semantic

Supports MSM view that STM and LTM are two separate and independent memory stores

A03 Limitation: Evidence suggesting there is more than one STM store

KF case study - had amnesia - STM recall for digits was poor when he heard them but better when he read them

Other studies also confirm that there may be a separate STM store for non verbal sounds

MSM is wrong to claim that there is just one STM store which process different types of information

A03 Limitation: Prolonged rehearsal isnt needed for STM-LTM transfer

Psychologists argued there are 2 types of rehearsal - maintenance and elaborative

Maintenance is the one described in MSM

Elaborative needed for long term storage

MSM doesn’t fully explain how long term storage is achieved

A03 Limitation: Outdated model

Useful model that explained alot of evidence at the time

But MSM cant account for many research findings and oversimplifies nature of STM/LTM/rehearsal

Good starting point for developing more valid models of memory that explain research evidence better