Comprehensive Study Notes on Memory Models

The focus of memory models is to explain various phenomena with a limited number of components.
Research studies can support predictions made by cognitive models, but not the entirety of the model itself.

The model consists of multiple stages of memory: sensory memory, short term memory, and long term memory.
It is acknowledged that a study can only test specific aspects of this model due to its complexity.

Definition: The initial stage of memory that holds sensory information for a brief moment.
Characteristics:
- Duration: Less than 1 second.
- Limited by perception; holds only what is within the immediate sensory field.

Definition: A temporary store for holding limited amounts of information.
Characteristics:
- Duration: Around 20 to 30 seconds.
- Capacity: Generally understood as 7 plus or minus 2 chunks of information.
Experiment Example:
- A string of letters provided (e.g., "PCBMXBMWXBOXPS4"), demonstrating the limitation in recall abilities when presented all at once.
- Participants tend to remember 5 chunks better when organized (e.g., "PC, BMX, BMW, Xbox, PS4").

Transfer from sensory memory to short term memory occurs through attention; without attention, information cannot be transferred.
Short term memory transfers to long term memory through rehearsal (e.g., repeating a phone number).
Long term memory can theoretically hold an unlimited amount of information, but retrieval can be challenging.
Key Duration Points:
- Sensory Memory: < 1 second
- Short Term Memory: 20-30 seconds
- Long Term Memory: Indefinite (theoretically)

Are the memory stores distinct and separate as proposed by the model?
How many distinct stores are there? Is it exactly three or could there be more/less?
Is there a physiological basis for these memory stores, or are they merely constructs?
Is rehearsal necessary for transfer from short term to long term memory?
Can transfer fail even in the presence of rehearsal?
Does information flow in just one direction from sensory to long term memory, or can it flow in the reverse?

The experiment examined the primacy (early items) and recency (late items) effects in memory recall.
Participants were read a list of words and then asked to recall them, typically remembering words at the start and end better.
Delaying recall resulted in poorer recollection of the recency effect, indicating interrupted rehearsal inhibited short term memory retention.
Conclusions:
- Support for the model's assertion that short term and long term memory stores are distinct, based on rehearsal opportunities available for words at different positions on the list.

Phonological Similarity Effect: Words that rhyme or sound similar are harder to remember, which the model does not explain.
Word Length Effect: Shorter words are easier to remember than longer ones despite counting as single chunks in the model.

Definition: The brain’s temporary storage system for holding and manipulating information necessary for tasks such as learning and problem-solving.
Components:
- Visual-Spatial Sketchpad: Holds visual and spatial information, allowing for mental imagery.
- Phonological Loop: Processes auditory information, consisting of:
- Phonological Store (like an inner ear)
- Articulatory Rehearsal (inner voice that translates visual words into sounds).

Definition: Theoretical component that integrates information between different systems and links it to long-term memory. Still not fully understood.

Both models agree that rehearsal is necessary for memory retention and argue that short term memory has limitations in capacity and duration.
The Working Memory Model posits that short-term memory is not a single store but consists of various components that process different modalities (visual, spatial, audio).
Limitations of both models include their failure to adequately address memory distortion and the influence of emotion on memory processes.

Multistore Memory Model focuses on distinct, linear stores (sensory, short-term, long-term).
Working Memory Model emphasizes multiple components within short-term memory that allow for multitasking and differentiates between types of information processable.
Implication of models demonstrates the complexity of understanding memory systems and prompts ongoing exploration and testing of psychological constructs related to memory, leading to future studies and models to accommodate non-accountable phenomena (e.g., emotional triggers in memory).

Students are encouraged to think critically about these two models, their efficacy, and the real-life implications of how we understand memory.