Multi-Store Model of Memory - IB Psychology Revision Notes
Overview
- Multi-store model of memory (MSM) developed by Atkinson & Shiffrin (1968)
- Describes how memories are encoded and stored
- Represents the flow from sensory input to long-term storage
- Linear representation of memory storage and loss
Components
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Sensory Memory/Register
- Initial point of environmental stimuli capture (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)
- Encodes sounds as echoic memory and images as iconic memory
- Duration: Fraction of a second; information not attended to is lost
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Short-Term Memory (STM)
- Temporary storage with limited duration and capacity
- Capacity: 7 items (Miller's "magic number 7")
- Duration: Up to 30 seconds
- Information is displaced if not rehearsed (FIFO principle)
- Maintenance Rehearsal: Shallow, keeps info temporarily
- Elaborate Rehearsal: Deep, involves multiple learning methods
- Can be improved by chunking
-
Long-Term Memory (LTM)
- Vast, potentially limitless capacity and duration
- Information may decay or become inaccessible without cues
- Encoding: Semantic
Supporting Research
- Glanzer & Cunitz (1966): Evidence of recency effect in STM
- Case of HM: Demonstrates separation of STM and LTM
Evaluation
Strengths
- First model to conceptualize memory, leading to further research
- Supported by lab experiments and case studies
Limitations
- Lacks flexibility, portraying memory stores as static
- Does not account for different types of LTM:
- Episodic Memory: Personal experiences
- Procedural Memory: Skills and actions
- Semantic Memory: Knowledge about the world
Examiner Tips and Worked Example
- Case of HM used in biological approach and localization of function
- Example for answering a related SAQ (Short Answer Question) with a focus on linking study to the question
Conclusion
- MSM provides a basis for understanding memory structure but has limitations in its simplistic representation of complex processes.
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