Multi Store Model of Memory - Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968 Flashcards
How does information flow through the memory stores?
In order/in a linear way
How is information lost from each of the stores?
Sensory memory - decay
Short term - displacement
Long term - interference
What is having three separate memory stores called?
Unitary
What needs to happen to information for it to transfer to STM?
Attention needs to paid to the information for it to transfer to STM
What type of rehearsal is needed for information to enter LTM?
Elaborate rehearsal
What are the strengths/supporting evidence of Atkinson & Shiffrin?
Glanzer
HM
Usefulness in society
What are the weaknesses/refuting evidence of Atkinson and Shriffrin?
KF
Simplistic model
Reductionist
Why has the MSM been criticised as being limited and simplistic?
The levels of processing approach demonstrates that information is not transferred to LTM simply by rehearsal but involves more sophisticated processing such as elaborative rehearsal
The model cannot explain why we often clearly remember highly emotional events known as flash-bulb memories with little or no rehearsal
Why has the MSM been criticised as being reductionist?
Criticised for simplifying the interconnections between the different memory systems by proposing that memory has distinctly different stores
How can the MSM be used in society?
Strategies can be developed such as writing things down if STM is faulty or using mnemonics so that meaning is added e.g. in the case of Dementia patients
Why is Glanzer supporting evidence for the multi store model of memory?
Glanzer provided evidence that there are separate short term and long term stores through research into the primacy and recency effect
Participants were presented with a word list to memories and recall and a serial position curve was used to record results
Research concluded more words from the beginning of the list were remembered because they had entered long term memory
Why is HM supporting evidence for the multi store model of memory?
After suffering brain damage as a result of surgery to treat epilepsy, HM lost the ability to form new long term memories
HM had normal functioning STM, but was unable to rehearse information in order for it to enter LTM
This supports the idea that the STM is the gateway to LTM. Also provides evidence that STM and LTM are completely separate entities
Why is KF refuting evidence for the multi store model of memory?
KF suffered brain damage in a motorcycle accident
Unlike HM, KF’s long term memory was normal, but his short term memory was damaged to the extent that he could only remembered 2 items/chunks of information
If KF’s short term capacity was reduced then following the model one would expect his ability to pass information to LTM to also be reduced, but I wasn’t and so the model must be flawed
Why is usefulness in society a strength of the multi store model of memory?
Strategies can be developed such as writing things down if short term memory is faulty or using mnemonics so that meaning is added
e.g. in the case of dementia patients
Why is the multi store model of memory criticised for being simplistic?
Has been criticised for presenting a limited and simplistic explanation of how memory is processed
The levels of processing approach demonstrates that information is not transferred to LTM simply by rehearsal but involves more sophisticated processing such as elaborative rehearsal
