Multistore Model Of Memory Flashcards
What is the capacity of long term memory?
Unlimited
What is the capacity of STM?
7 plus or minus 2
Millers magic number
What way is information encoded into STM and LTM?
STM encodes acoustically (sound)
LTM encodes semantically (meaning)
What is meant by encoding?
Encoding is the way information is translated or processed from the environment. This can be by sound, meaning or visual encoding.
What type of rehearsal retains information in the STM?
Maintenance rehearsal. For example repeating things over and over again
What is the best form of rehearsal?
Elaborate. This is how information moves from STM to LTM
Why does Clive Wearing support the multistore model of memory?
He had amnesia but it only affected his STM. His LTM was fine which proved that the STM and LTM really are separate memory stores!
What type of memories challenge the need for rehearsal?
Flashbulb memories - the type of memory that doesn’t need rehearsal. For example your 21st birthday or your wedding day.
Name the three memory stores
Sensory Memory
short term memory
Long term memory
James answered a telephone call during which he was given a phone number to pass on to his mum. He didn’t have a pen so tried to repeat it over and over in his memory. By the time his mum got home, James had forgotten the number. Explain why.
He was only using maintenance rehearsal so the information did not enter the long term memory.
He did not make the information semantic.
Why is the model considered to be ‘too simple’?
Memory is such a complex skill that it cannot be explained one theory alone. The multistore model under estimates how much is involved in memory
Research into memory relies on lab experiments. Explain why lab experiments lack ‘ecological validity’
They lack ecological validity because they are very artificial and don’t represent real life situations very well. They often don’t involve real emotions or consequences.
Some studies such as Clive Wearing rely on the use of case studies. Identify one advantage of using case studies.
High ecological validity
Rich, in depth information gathered
Very ethical
Jenny gave Karl her mobile phone number after meeting in a local cafe. Karl tried to remember the number but he found it really hard. Suggest one technique Karl could have used to help him learn the number.
Chunking - since the mobile phone number exceeded the capacity of STM, Karl would have had to chunk the numbers into small ‘bits’ rather than try and learn each individual number.
Name one study that supports the multistore and their claims the rehearsal IS crucial to remembering.
Peterson and Petersons trigram study
