2.2 Multi-store model of Memory

2.2 Multi-store model of Memory

1. Proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin as a structural model. Put forward that memory consisted of three stores: sensory register, short term memory and long term memory.

2. Sensory Register

   • All stimulus from the outside environment passes into the sensory register. This consists of the 5 senses, iconic- seeing, echoic- hearing.
     • Once attention is paid attention to, it passes to the short term memory.
   • Duration: 1/4 -1/2 second
   • Capacity: sensory experience
   • Encoding: sense specific e.g iconic is coded acoustically.

3. Short Term Memory

   • Coded mainly acoustically and only lasts about 18 seconds so is a temporary store.
   • Memories are transferred from short to long term by maintenance rehearsal.
     • Maintenance rehearsal is repetition of material to remember it. Once rehearsed long enough, passes to the long term memory.

4. Long Term Memory

   • Potentially permanent store.
   • When information wants to be recalled from the long term memory store, it has to be transferred back to the short term memory through retrieval.
   • Encoded semantically.

5. Evaluation

   • Strengths:
     • Research support. Baddeley's research proves that the STM and LTM are two distinct stores.
     • Gives us a good understand of the process of STM. Allows researchers to expand on this model.
   • Weaknesses:
     • More than one STM store. When studying a client with amnesia, stm for digits was very poor when read aloud, but when read by himself was much better.
     • Elaborative rehearsal. Prolonged rehearsal is not needed for transfer to LTM, what matters is the type of rehearsal.