Cognitive Psychology: The Multi-Store Model of Memory

Multi-Store Model of Memory

The Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM), proposed by Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968), outlines how memories are stored.

Key Components

The model consists of three memory stores:

• Sensory Memory: Receives all sensory input.
• Short-Term Memory (STM): Processes information attended to from sensory memory.
• Long-Term Memory (LTM): Stores information rehearsed in STM.

Information flows from sensory memory to STM through attention, and from STM to LTM through rehearsal. Information is retrieved from LTM back to STM.

Sensory Memory

• Coding: Sense-specific (e.g., visual, auditory).
• Capacity: Very high.
• Duration: Up to 0.5 seconds.

Short Term Memory

• Coding: Acoustic (sounds).
• Capacity: 7 +- 2 items or chunks.
• Duration: Less than 30 seconds without rehearsal.

Long Term Memory

• Coding: Semantic (meaning).
• Capacity: Potentially unlimited.
• Duration: Potentially a lifetime.

Validity and Reliability

• Internal Validity: The extent to which the outcome of the study is the direct result of the manipulated independent variable.
• Construct Validity: The extent to which a test measures what it intends to measure.
• Predictive Validity: The extent to which results from a study can predict future behaviour.
• External Validity: The extent to which the results can be generalised beyond the study.
• Ecological validity: Can the results be generalised to the real world?
• Population validity: Can the results be applied from the sample to other people?
• Temporal validity: Can the results be applied to different time periods?
• Reliability: Consistency of a measure. Test-retest reliability involves repeating an empirical, objective, and replicable procedure to see if the results are the same.

Strengths of the MSM

• Supporting evidence from Baddeley (1966a,b) shows different encoding methods in STM and LTM.
• Bahrick (1975) showed the duration of LTM can last decades.
• Case studies like HM and Clive Wearing support the distinction between STM and LTM.
• Empirical studies use scientific methods, controlled variables and objective data.

Weaknesses of the MSM

• KF case study (1970) suggests STM has separate components (visual and verbal), making MSM too simplistic.
• The model over-emphasizes rehearsal; Levels of Processing theory suggests meaning is more important.
• The model is passive, linear, and oversimplified.