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AQA Psychology A level Memory - Outline and evaluate the Multi-Store Model of Memory (16 marks)
Hello everyone!
Memory is most likely the first topic you'll study in your Psychology course and it is honestly the easiest to learn. Today I will be sharing with you an essay on the first topic of Memory.
What the spec says: The multi-store model of memory: sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory. Features of each store: coding, capacity and duration.
OUTLINE AND EVALUATE THE MSM OF MEMORY
A01
The MSM is a structural model put forward by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) which claims there are 3 separate types of memory storage. The first is our sensory memory (SM) which gathers sensory input from the surroundings. The sensory register then holds this information for approximately 500ths of a second before it starts to decay almost immediately. SM is said to have a capacity of 9-10 items and encoding is haptic (tactile input), echoic (auditory) or iconic (visual).
If information is paid attention to, it is transferred to short-term memory (STM) which has a limited duration of 18-30 seconds without maintenance rehearsal and a capacity of 7+-2 items. In STM, encoding is acoustic (through sub-vocal repetition) and elaborative rehearsal leads to information being encoded semantically which can then be stored in long-term memory (LTM).
LTM is said to have an unlimited capacity and duration. Retrieval of information occurs through it passing back through STM which is called a rehearsal loop. Memories in STM are often lost by displacement whereas in LTM, they are lost by decay as the memory trace disappears through lack of use.
A03
Various amounts of evidence contribute significantly towards the validity of the MSM and in showing that there are separate stores in terms of ST and LTM. Glanzer and Cunitz's primacy and recency effect found that when required to recall a list of words either immediately or after a delay of 30 seconds in which rehearsal was prevented by a counting task, pps who recalled immediately recalled the first and last few words best. This was due to the words at the beginning being transferred to LTM (primacy effect) and the words at the end were still in STM (recency effect) as they hadn't been displaced or decayed. However, those who recalled after a delay only remembered the words at the beginning (in LTM) due to the words at the end being displaced by the counting task. Both groups had difficulty recalling words from the middle which clearly shows that STM and LTM are separate stores because only the recency effect was affected by the counting task. This therefore supports the MSM's view that these two stores are independent and adds to its validity.
The cases of HM and KF also support the MSM's central feature of ST and LTM being separate entities. HM had his hippocampus removed during surgery to reduce epilepsy and as the hippocampus is crucial to memory, he lost his ability to form new LTMs although his STM wasn't affected as much. Shallice and Warrington studied the case of KF who suffered brain damage and found that his STM was reduced to 2 items despite having an intact LTM. These cases provide evidence that supports ST and LTM being separate stores and shows that it's possible to suffer damage to one store with the other remaining relatively unaffected. These cases are also an example of double dissociation and can help cognitive neuroscientists identify where STM and LTM centres are located within the brain which provides real life application.
However, the case of KF brings into light that STM may be far more complex than the model states. As KF's STM was reduced then according to this model, his ability to pass information to LTM would also be reduced but this wasn't the case. Also, KF's STM for digits was poor when read out loud to him but his recall was much better when he read digits himself. This implies that KF had two types of STM - one for visual and one for auditory. Thus, this shows that the unitary STM is a limitation of the MSM because research has found that there could be another store for non-verbal sounds. This suggests that the Working Memory Model may be a better explanation for memory as it takes these separate STM stores into account.
According to the model, the more you rehearse information the more likely you are to transfer it to LTM. However, Craik and Watkins found this to be wrong. They discovered that the type of rehearsal is more important than the amount and that there are two types. Maintenance rehearsal doesn't transfer information to LTM but just keeps it in STM. Elaborative rehearsal is needed for LTM storage and occurs when new information is linked to existing information and its meaning is understood. Although the model does state that LTM is coded semantically, the types of rehearsal are another research finding that can't be explained by this model. The emphasis on rehearsal is also a limitation because flashbulb memories require no rehearsal and are stored immediately, for example memories which have an emotional significance. This implies that the MSM isn't a full explanation of memory.
THERE MAY BE MORE INFORMATION THAN YOU NEED
Useful links:
https://www.tutor2u.net/psychology/reference/multi-store-model-of-memory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx94XtQCidc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGhw_4PGGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNq2hQiK3po