multistore model of memory Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is the multi-store model (MSM)?
A model describing how information flows through the memory system, suggesting memory is made of 3 stores linked by processing.
What are the three stores in the MSM?
~ sensory register
~ short-term memory (STM)
~ long-term memory (LTM)
How does information enter the sensory register?
Through stimuli from the environment via our 5 senses.
What is coding in the sensory register like?
Modality-specific, depending on the sense (e.g., iconic for visual, echoic for sound).
How long does material last in the sensory register?
Less than 0.5 seconds.
What is the capacity of the sensory register?
Very high.
What is required for information to pass from the sensory register to STM?
Attention.
How is information coded in STM?
Mainly acoustically.
How long does information last in STM?
About 18 seconds unless rehearsed.
What is the capacity of STM?
5-9 items.
What is maintenance rehearsal?
Repeating material to ourselves over and over.
How does information get transferred to LTM from STM?
Through prolonged rehearsal.
How is information coded in LTM?
Mostly semantically (in terms of meaning).
How long does information last in LTM?
Potentially a lifetime.
What is the capacity of LTM?
Practically unlimited.
What is retrieval in the context of MSM?
The process of transferring information from LTM back into STM.
What is one research support for MSM?
Studies showing that STM and LTM are different.
How did Alan Baddeley (1966) support the MSM?
Found we mix up similar-sounding words in STM (acoustic coding) and words with similar meanings in LTM (semantic coding).
What is a counterpoint to research support for MSM?
Studies supporting MSM often use artificial materials like digits and consonant syllables.
What did Shallice and Warrington’s (1970) study of KF show?
Evidence for more than one STM store.
What was unique about KF’s memory?
Poor STM for digits that were read aloud but better recall when he read them himself.
What is elaborative rehearsal?
Linking information to existing knowledge or thinking about what it means.
How does elaborative rehearsal challenge MSM?
Suggests prolonged rehearsal isn’t always needed for transfer to LTM.
According to Craik and Watkins (1973), what is more important than the amount of rehearsal?
The type of rehearsal.
