2. MEMORY (The Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM))

Question 1

What are the three stores in Atkinson and Shiffrin’s Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 1

1. Sensory Register
2. Short-Term Memory (STM)
3. Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Question 2

How does information flow in the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 2

Information flows as follows:
1. Environmental stimuli enter the sensory register.
2. Attention transfers information from the sensory register to STM.
3. Maintenance rehearsal keeps information in STM.
4. Elaborative rehearsal transfers information from STM to LTM.

Question 3

What is the capacity of each store in the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 3

• Sensory Register: Unlimited
• Short-Term Memory (STM): 7 ± 2 items
• Long-Term Memory (LTM): Unlimited

Question 4

What is the duration of each store in the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 4

• Sensory Register: Very brief (milliseconds)
• Short-Term Memory (STM): 18-30 seconds
• Long-Term Memory (LTM): Potentially lifelong

Question 5

What is the type of coding used in each store in the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 5

• Sensory Register: Unprocessed
• Short-Term Memory (STM): Acoustic
• Long-Term Memory (LTM): Semantic

Question 6

What does the case of Clive Wearing suggest about the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 6

• Supports the idea that STM and LTM are separate stores: Clive can still play the piano (procedural memory, LTM) but cannot form new LTM or recall some old ones.
• However, it challenges the idea of unitary LTM: Clive’s ability to remember some long-term memories (e.g., his wife) but not others (e.g., his musical education) suggests LTM is not unitary.

Question 7

What does the Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) study show about the MSM?

Answer 7

• It shows the primacy and recency effects:
  o Primacy effect: Early words are remembered well because they are transferred to LTM through rehearsal.
  o Recency effect: Late words are remembered because they are still in STM.
• This supports the MSM’s idea that STM and LTM are separate stores.

Question 8

How does the concept of “flashbulb memories” challenge the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 8

• Flashbulb memories (e.g., vivid memories of traumatic events) can be recalled without rehearsal.
• This suggests that memory can be transferred to LTM without the need for rehearsal, challenging MSM’s emphasis on rehearsal as the key process for transferring information to LTM.

Question 9

What does the case of KF suggest about the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?

Answer 9

• KF’s case, where his short-term memory for digits was poor when heard but better when read visually, suggests STM is not unitary.
• This contradicts MSM’s claim that STM is a single store and instead supports the idea of separate stores for visual and auditory information.

Question 10

What is a limitation of the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM) regarding STM?

Answer 10

• MSM treats STM as a single store, but the Working Memory Model suggests that STM is made up of multiple components (e.g., Central Executive, Phonological Loop, Visuospatial Sketchpad).

Question 11

What is a strength of the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM) regarding research support?

Answer 11

• The MSM is supported by research, such as the Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) study, which shows that there are two distinct memory stores (STM and LTM), supporting the idea that they are separate stores with different properties.

Question 12

What does the concept of “maintenance rehearsal” in MSM refer to?

Answer 12

• Maintenance rehearsal refers to the process of repeatedly practicing or rehearsing information to keep it in STM. It allows information to be stored in STM for a longer period.