Multi-store model

Multi-store model

1. Sensory Register, STM & LTM

   • Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)
   • Sensory Register
     • where info is held at each of the five senses
     • capacity is very large, but most info is lost as receives no attention
     • duration is very limited (milliseconds)
   • STM
     • Info is held here for immediate tasks
     • limited duration of 18 seconds
     • capacity of 7 +/- 2 chunks
   • LTM
     • unlimited capacity & duration

2. Attention, Maintenance rehearsal & retrieval

   • Attention
     • if persons attention is on one of the sensory stores, info is transferred to STM
   • Maintenance rehearsal
     • repetition
     • keeps info in STM, but eventually will create LTM
     • the more info in rehearsed the better it is remembered
   • Retrieval
     • info in LTM can be returned to STM by retrieval

3. Evaluation

   • Supporting lab evidence
     • controlled lab studies on capacity, duration & coding support existence of separate STM & LTM stores
     • e.g. Miller (1956) found duration of STM 7 +/- 2, Bahrick et al (1975) duration of LTM approximately 48 years
     • supports idea of separate stores which is basis of model
   • Supporting case studies
     • Scoville & Milner (1985) case study of HM, brain damage caused from operation to remove hippocampus from both sides of brain to reduce severe epilepsy
     • HM's personality & intellect stayed intact, but could not create new LTM, although remembered things from before
     • provides support for MSM as HM unable to transfer info from STM to LTM, but was able to retrieve info from before surgery, supporting different processes
   • Over Simplistic
     • MSM suggests STM & LTM are unitary stores but research doesn't support this
     • working memory model suggests STM is divided into a no. different stores. + research has also found different types of LTM e.g. semanatic, episodic & procedural
     • suggests MSM gives simplistic model of memory & doesn't take into account different types of STM & LTM
   • LTM -more than just maintenance rehearsal
     • Craik & Lockhart (1972) suggests LTM created by level of processing & not rehearsal
     • info that is processed more deeply is memorable due to way its processed. therefore doing more complex things with info will make memories ore enduring
     • suggests process of rehearsal doesn't fully explain process of remembering in LTM
   • STM & LTM not separate stores
     • Logie (1999) suggested STM relies on LTM and cannot come first as suggested in MSM
     • Also, Ruchkin et al (2003) when participants process a list of real words, other areas of brain were activated, compared to when participants processed a list of pseudo-words
     • suggests STM relies on LTM & may be a part of LTM not a separate store