Multi-Store Model

Multi-Store Model

1. Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

   • Sensory Register
     • Information arrives here through the senses (eyes, ears, nose, fingers)
       • Constantly receive information through these senses
     • Capacity very large
     • Most given no attention and only remains in the sensory register for a brief amount of time (milliseconds)
     • Attention
       • Only when you focus on one of the senses that the information can begin to be processed
       • First step to remembering
     • Definition: The information at the senses – information collected by your eyes, ears, nose, fingers etc which is then retained for a very brief period by the sensory registers. We are only able to hold accurate images of sensory information momentarily (less than a second). The capacity of sensory memory is very large, such as all the cells on the retina of the eye. The method of coding depends on the sense organ involved, e.g. visual for the eyes or acoustic for the ears
   • Short-term memory
     • Information here for immediate tasks i.e. Maths problem /directions
     • Limited duration ‘Fragile state’ – it will disappear relatively quickly if it is not rehearsed
     • Repeated information is called maintenance rehearsal as usually verbal is also known as verbal rehearsal
     • Information can be replaced with new information –displaced – due to the limited capacity in the STM
   • Maintenance Rehearsal
     • Repetition is used to keep information in the STM
       • Then moves into the LTM if rehearsal continues and successful creating a Long Term Memory
     • More rehearsal = better recall Maintenance rehearsal
   • Long-term memory
     • Potentially unlimited in its capacity and duration
     • Argue that there are many things that we have known but then forgotten can not remember/ recall
       • Not rehearsed them enough to move to LTM therefore the memory was not actually created
         • Memory is there but can not be found
   • Retrieval
     • Getting information back from the LTM into the STM so that it can be accessed and used
   • Functional separation – Sperling
   • Glanzer and Cunitz – Primacy and recency
   • Role of rehearsal Craik and Lockhart’s challenge to MSM Maintenance v’s elaborative rehearsal

2. Definition: An explanation of memory based on three separate memory stores and how information is transferred between these stores.