Evaluation: Multi-store Model

Evaluation: Multi-store Model

1. Supporting Studies

   • HM had access to his LTM from before the age of 16 and could process memories in his STM. However, he was unable to form new memories. This suggests that there are different memory stores, each with their own function.
     • FUNCTIONAL DISTINCTION: All stores are separate with different roles. For example, they all have different ways on encoding information, a different capacity and duration.
   • HM also learnt how to draw a good star as he was asked to do this every time he was studied. This suggests that elaborate rehearsal moves information from the STM to the LTM.
     • REHEARSAL: elaborate rehearsal moves info from STM to LTM, can retrieve info back to STM from LTM, attention to environmental stumble moves info from SR to LTM.

2. Criticism of Supporting Studies

   • The use of the HM case study as supporting evidence for the model can be criticised. The findings cannot be generalised to everyone as it was a unique case and also the results only came from the study of a single person. Furthermore, there is no data prior to the removal of HM's hippocampus to compare how, or if, his memory has changed since.

3. Opposing Evidence

   • The MSM has been criticised for being too simplistic. The WMM suggests that the STM is split into 3 different parts (central executive, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad, Tulving suggested that LTM is split into procedural and declarative memory, and there are instances where information seems to skip the STM and go straight to the LTM, therefore not following the suggested linear structure.
     • LINEAR MODEL: information must pass through every store in a set order.

4. Different Theories

   • WMM: theory of STM being split into 3 sections, Tulving suggested that there are two types of LTM (backed up by Clive Wearing who could remember how to play the piano but couldn't remember facts).
     • The MSM suggests that memory is split into 3 unitary stores: the sensory register, STM and LTM.

5. Application

   • The idea of elaborate rehearsal moving information from STM to LTM can be used to adapt revision techniques as well as used in advertising (e.g. repeating the name of the product in an advert or a jingle so it sticks into peoples' heads and they remember that product/brand).