Multi-store Model of Memory

Multi-store Model of Memory

1. DURATION

   • SHORT TERM MEMORY
     • Peterson and Peterson (1959) Study
       • Experimenter presented participant with a trigram. Participant then counts backwards for an interval. Then asked to recall the trigram.
       • Correctly recalled 90% of trigrams after 3 seconds. Correctly recalled 2% of trigrams after 18 seconds.
       • Study is lab experiment - cause and effect. High control over extraneous variables - confident that IV (length of interval) caused the DV (whether or not trigram recalled correctly. Results are reliable and strongly supports claim of limited duration.
       • Study is lab experiment - low ecological validity. Does not test memory in realistic way. Task is artificial and simple - does not test true complexity of memory. Results cannot be generalised to real life. May not provide valid support.
   • A measure of how long a memory lasts before it is lost
   • LONG TERM MEMORY
     • Bahrick Et Al (1975) Study
       • Participants shown a set of photographs and names from their high school. Had to identify their classmates
       • 90% of names and faces correctly recognised after 15 years. 80% of names and 70% of faces recognised after 48 years.
       • Natural experiment - high ecological validity. Meaningful stimulus. Provides info about how LTM works in an everyday context.
       • Natural experiment - low control of extraneous variables. Not certain that IV is causing DV. Possible that identifying classmates might have been affected by external factors (e.g. meeting classmates after graduation)

2. MULTI STORE MODEL

   • 1. Information reaches senses from environment. Enters memory system through sensory memory.
     • 2. Some info picked up by attention and passed through to STM
       • 3. Info kept in STM through maintenance rehearsal
         • 4. If we give meaning to info in STM (elaborative rehearsal) info becomes semantically encoded into LTM
           • 5. Info stored in LTM can remain a lifetime
   • STM and LTM are unitary stores. STM and LTM are seperate stores (one can be damaged when other is not).

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