Multi-store model

What is the MSM

• a theorteticla modl fo memory developed by atkinson and sihifrin that includes 3 seperate unitary stores (SR,STM,LTM)

• MSM belives that information flows through the 3 spearte unitary stores in a fixed, linear irder and each store has a different role

MSM: Senosry Register (SR)

-It gathers information from our sense organs (eyes,ears,nose,mouth,skin) and each sense is coded differently. This is our environemnetla stimuli

• Has a very large capacity

• limited duration, and information is lost almost immediately (2s>0.5s)

• if we pay attention to the sensory infomration that is passing, it will pass to the STM

• forgetting here occurd due to rapid decay

MSM: Short Term Memory (STM)

• Has a limited capacity 5-9 (7±2) items

• Limited duration of 18-30 seconds 

• coding in STM is mainly acoustic

• information is held by rehearsal and this allows info to be contained through repetition (this rehearsal also transfers info to LTM)

• forgetting here occurs due to displacement from the STM

-CHUNKING can be used as a method of storing more information in the STM, reducing the items and freeing up capacity

MSM: Long Term Memory

• unlimited capacity

• duration up to a lifetime

• forgetting occurs due to interference (proactive and retroactive) and retrieval failure (cue and state dependent)

• LTM codes information semantically

Primacy and Recency effect

When learning and immediately recalling a sequence of items, the recall of words at the start of the list and the end is much higher than the words in the middle of the list

• Words at the start are rehearsed and transferred to the LTM

• Words at the end are still within the capacity of the STM

• Words in the middle are displaced from the STM by the words at the end

This shows that the STM and LTM are separate stores

Coding and confusion

The STM codes info acoustically, whereas LTM codes semantically.

• When using STM (during immediate recall), confusion will occur with similar sounding words

• When using LTM (recall after delay), confusion will occur for semantically similar words that have similar meanings

What is:

• coding

• capacity

• duration

Coding: what form the information is stored in, in your memory

Capacity: how much information is stores

Duration: how long information is stored in you

Whats memory and the 3 basic features of memory?

Memory: defined as a system of retaining information from our daily experiences

3 basic features:

1) Coding (format info is held in)

2) Storage (retaining of info in memory)

3) Retrieval (accessing info when needed)

• memory can differ in terms of its capacity, duration and coding