Multi- store model Flashcards
memory (7 cards)
model of MSM
1) enviromental stimuli
2) enters the sensory memory (info is held at each sense)
3) if u pay attention then data transfers to STM
4) info is held in STM for immediate tasks
5) by maintenance rehersal ( repetition keeps info in STM but eventually it will create a LTM)
6) Retrievel is the process of getting info from LTM and passing back to STM to use.
who and what year did they come up with the MSM model
Atkinson and shriffin in 1968
strength of MSM
one case of a man called HM. his brain damage was caused by removing hippocampus from both sides of his brain to reduce epilepsy. His personality and intellect was intact but he was not able to form new LTMs but could still remember his things from before the surgery. This provided support to MSM as HM was unable to transfer info from STM to LTM but were able to retrieve information.
Supporting evidence for separate memory stores
Research supports the distinction between STM and LTM. For example, Baddeley (1966) found that STM is coded acoustically while LTM is coded semantically, which suggests they are separate systems. Likewise, the serial position effect shows that items at the beginning and end of a list are recalled better due to LTM and STM, respectively. These findings provide empirical support for the MSM’s basic structure.
Limitation of MSM
MSM suggests that STM comes before LTM however Logie pointed out that STM actually relies on LTM so therefore can not be first. Ruchkin did a study by asking participants to recall a set of words and pseudo-words. They found out that there were much more brain activity when normal words asked compared to pseudo-words and this research shows that STM and LTM are not separate and that STM is just a part of LTM.
Oversimplified — STM and LTM are not unitary stores
MSM assumes STM and LTM are single, uniform stores, but research shows this is not the case. Working Memory Model (Baddeley & Hitch) shows that STM is made of multiple components (e.g. phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad). Similarly, Tulving suggested different types of LTM (episodic, semantic, procedural). This undermines the MSM’s claim that memory is linear and unitary.
Rehearsal is not the only way to transfer info to LTM
MSM emphasises maintenance rehearsal as the key to storing info in LTM. However, Craik and Lockhart (1972) found that the depth of processing is more important — information processed semantically is remembered better than info that is just repeated. So the MSM may place too much importance on repetition rather than meaningful learning.
Artificial evidence
Much of the supporting evidence (e.g. digit span tasks, word lists) lacks ecological validity. These lab-based memory tasks do not reflect how memory works in real life, where we deal with complex, meaningful information. This limits the model’s real-world application.
Capacity of Sensory Memory
high, info will only passed to STM if you pay attention
Duration of Sensory memory
half a second
Encoding of Sensory Memory
Visual
