C2 - Multi-store model of memory

Question 1

Sensory register

Answer 1

All stimuli from environment pass into SR
Coding - modality-specific (visual in iconic, acoustic in echoic)
Duration - less than half a second
Capacity - very high

Info passes futher into memory if attention is paid to it

Question 2

STM

Answer 2

Limited capacity store of temporary duration
Coding - acoustic
Duration - about 18 seconds (unless info is rehearsed)
Capacity - between 5-9 items

Maintenance rehearsal keeps info in STM. If rehearsed long enough, passed into LTM

Question 3

LTM

Answer 3

Permanent memory store
Coding - mostly semantic
Duration - up to a lifetime
Capacity - unlimited

Question 4

Retrieval

Answer 4

To recall info stored in LTM it has to be transferred back to STM

Question 5

Evaluations of MSM (SLL)

Answer 5

S - Research support shows STM & LTM are different
L - Evidence suggests there is more than one STM store
L - Prolonged rehearsal not needed for STM-LTM transfer

Question 6

S - Research support shows STM & LTM are different

Answer 6

• Baddeley found we mix up words that sound similar when using STM (so STM coding is acoustic)
• But, we mix up words that have similar meanings when using LTM (so LTM coding is semantic)
• Supports MSM’s view that these 2 memory stores are separate & independent

Question 7

L - Evidence suggests there is more than one STM store

Answer 7

• KF had amnesia, STM recall for digits was poor when he heard them, but better when he read them
• Other studies confirm there may be separate STM store for non-verbal sounds
• MSM is wrong to claim there is just one STM store processing different types of info

Question 8

L - Prolonged rehearsal not needed for STM-LTM transfer

Answer 8

• Craik & Watkins argued of 2 types of rehearsal (maintenance & elaborative.) Maintenance only described in MSM
• But, elaborative rehearsal needed for long-term storage (e.g. link info to existing knowledge)
• MSM doesn’t fully explain how long-term storage is achieved