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Multi-Store Model

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AO1: Shriffin et al proposed the Multi-Store Memory model (MSM), a structural model composed of 3 separate stores: Sensory memory (SM), Short-term memory (STM) and Long-term memory (LTM).

The sensory memory receives constant information from environmental stimuli through the senses. It stays in the SM for short periods because it receives little attention. However, if attention is focused on these stimuli, it becomes processed into the STM.

Rehearsal maintains information in the STM but can be forgotten quickly due to limited duration (decay) or displacement of new information due to limited capacity. Through maintenance rehearsal, information is transferred to the LTM.

The LTM has unlimited capacity and duration depending on the processing of information. While the LTM encoding is mainly semantic the STM encoding is auditory with a capacity of 7 +/- 2 items and duration of up to 18 seconds. AO2: The model has been criticised for lacking ecological validity. This is because the evidence for the model primarily comes from meaningless verbal data rather than memory concerned with real life. The MSM can be argued to be reductionist for oversimplifying memory structure. The model assumes that short-term and long-term stores are unitary: contrary evidence from the working memory model has demonstrated that short-term memory is divided into multiple components.

Peterson and Peterson’s (1959) study supports the role of rehearsal. 24 participants had to recall a list of words but rehearsal was prevented (by having them count backwards in threes): At 3 seconds, recall was 90%, at 9 seconds, dropped by 20% but at 18 seconds, recall was impossible. Thus, rehearsal must be necessary to translate information into LTM, which is a strength of the model. Also, the study highlights the difference between STM and LTM in the MSM.

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