1.1A the multi store memory model ib psychlogy

Define memory

The process of retaining information, storing it and then recalling it for later use.

Describe sensory memory

The entry point of all information from the sense organs.

Holds all the information before we attend to it.

Unlimited capacity

Duration of 0.2-4 seconds.

The information in our sensory store has not yet reached our awareness, and if we don’t pay attention to it, it never will and will be lost.

Describe short term memory

Incoming sensory information is selected through attention to pass into short term memory.

Holds a limited amount of information that is consciously being attended to and actively manipulated.

Information is routinely drawn from the long term memory to the short term memory to evaluate and understand information we are working on.

Information is no longer an exact replica of the sensory stimulus but rather an encoding representation of one.

Holds information in awareness for a short period of time - long enough to use for mental tasks.

Limited capacity - 5-9 items. Information fades with time if not used or rehearsed.

Duration of 12-30 seconds.

Describe long term memory

A relatively permanent memory store in which an unlimited amount of information can be stored until it is retrieved for use.

Information is stored and organised semantically, related to its meaning.

Information is located in the LTM and attached to STM.

Information flows from LTM to STM and from STM to LTM after use.

Virtually unlimited capacity.

Virutally permanent duration.

Study 1: Glanzer and Cunitz (1966)

Aim: to examine whether the position of words on a randomly assigned word list influences participants’ ability to recall them (primary and recency effects) and whether this substantiates that there are two seperate stores of memory (STM AND LTM).

Method: The researchers presented 240 army enlisted males with a list of 15 words which the participants know they had to memorise. Half of the participants were instructed to recall the list straight after presentation in the immediate free recall condition. The other half recalled them after a delay of 30 seconds whilst counting backwards by 3.

Results: The results were that participants in the immediate free recall condition demonstrated primary and recency effects while participants in teh delay free recall condition only exhibited primary effects, as the delay and distraction task interfered with with the STM and displaced the words being held in this store.

Evaluation Study 1:

Strengths:

Experiment was highly controlled with two conditions isolated. This high control meant that extraneous variables could be eliminated and that a cause and effect relationship could be established.

This high control meant that the researchers could also manipulate the variables (the absence of implementation of a thirty second distraction task. )

Limitations:

The participants were all male and may possibly differ in brain capacity/memorisation to females.

Lacks ecological validity as the memorisation of the items does not present everyday ways of utilizing memory unless they were memorising phone numbers, shopping lists etc.

Strengths of the multi store memory model

Has specific durations and capacities for STM AND SM.

The MSM has a wide scope because it considers memory in its entirety, having a sensory, short term, and long-term store.