Multistore model of memory Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is the multistore model of memory?
A representation or analogy of how psychologists think memory works
Who proposed the MSM?
Atkinson and Shiffrin
Draw the MSM
environmental stimuli, sensory memory, attention, STM, MR, LTM
What is the capacity, coding and duration of the sensory memory?
- capacity = large
- coding = all modes
- duration = > 30s
According to the model what fashion does memory work in?
Linear fashion
Outline the multistore model of memory (6 marks)
The MSM proposes that information from the environment enters our sensory register. This register has a large capacity and information is held here for a brief duration of less than 30 seconds. If attention is paid, information is transferred to the STM. The STM is coded acoustically, has a capacity between 5 - 9 items and information has a limited duration. Through maintenance rehearsal information is transferred into the LTM where the information is coded sematically, and potentially has an infinite duration and capacity. Information can be retrieved and use3d from either STM or LTM
A03 What evidence supports the MSM?
Serial position effect
Who created the serial position effect?
Glanzer and Cunitz
A03 Describe the procedure and findings of the serial position effect
- G+C presented ppts with a list of words they had to recall in any order (a free recall task)
- Found that the words at the beginning and end of the lists were recalled better than those in the middle.
Why were the words at the beginning of the list recalled better?
- primary effect
- they’ve been rehearsed over and over again and have been transferred to the LTM
Why were the words at the end of the list recalled better?
- recency effect
- still in the STM
How does the serial position effect support the MSM?
Provides evidence for the existence of two different memory stores and supports the idea of maintenance rehearsal + retrieval
What was HM’s case study?
- had epilepsy
- removed hippocampus
- lost declarative memory (memory that requires conscious inspection) (type of LTM)
- epilepsy cured
How is HM’s case study useful?
- tells us the hippocampus stores declarative memory
- Suggests we have separate stores each responsible for STM and LTM
A03 - STRENGTH - Research to support
- Research support
- Glanzer and Cunitz found the serial position effect
- Ppts presented with a list of words and were asked to recall the words in any order (free recall task)
- Found words at the beginning of the list (primary effect) was recalled due to them being rehearsed over and over again being transferred into the LTM
- words at end of list were recalled due to them being in the STM (recency effect)
- Shows evidence for two different/separate stores for memory and the idea of maintenance rehearsal in the MSM
A03 - WEAKENESS - overly simplistic
- MSM suggests that the LTM + STM are unitary stores
- WMM shows that the working memory (STM) has more than one component (divided into a different number of quality stores)
- It is not the difference in the terms of capacity/duration, but the type of memory
- Research also shows there are different qualities of LTM
- for example, maintenance rehearsal can explain LT storage in sematic memory but does not explain LT episodic memory.
- Suggests MSM may be overly simplistic
A03 - WEAKNESS - too much emphasis on maintenance rehearsal
- criticised for emphasis on maintenance rehearsal
- Craick and Lockheart suggested that enduring memory are created by processing than MR
- Things that are processed more deeply are memorable because of the way they are processed
- Craick and Tulving gave ppts a list of nouns and questions that involved shallow or deep processing
- words printed in caps (shallow) or words fitted into a sentence (deep)
- Ppts remembered more words in tasks involving deep processing than shallow
