16 marker - msm

the multi store model was developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin in 1968 to create
a distinction between separate stores of the memory which include the sensory,
short term and long term. Sensory memory is characterised by having a short
duration through having to take in everything we sense. This information is then
passed to the short term memory, if we are able to retain it. The short and long
term memory are seen as unitary stores in which information is passed between.
The long term memory has an unlimited amount of capacity and duration while
short term has a limited capacity. In addition to this, short term encodes
acoustically and long term encodes semantically.

There is evidence that supports this model suggesting there are two different
stores such as the Shallice and Warrington case in 1970 who reported the case
after studying KF, a man who’s brain had been injured during a motorcycle
accident, reducing the short term memory although his memory before the
events of the accident was relatively normal. This implies that the stores are
separate as one, the long term memory can function even though the short term
memory has become damaged. The Glanzer and Cunitz’s study also shows this
two as the first words of their experiment were stored in the LTM through
maintenance or elaborative rehearsal and the last words were in the short term
memory due to the recency effect. This supports the idea as if the short term
memory was damaged so would the long term memory.

However, the multi store model reflects a more generalised way the brain
works, which can lead to a heavy lack of ecological validity. It can be
interpreted that the multi store model fails to consider the nature of memory as
it treats all information inputted to be equal and the only key for encoding a
long term memory is repetition. However, this doesn’t consider that we can’t
recall information that has been maintenance rehearsed.

On the other hand, in evaluation the millers case study in 1957 supports the idea
of differences in capacity, encoding and duration between the stores; in his
experiment his subject was unable to retain new information but the digit span
was normal. Further case studies have detailed that impaired short term memory
does not affect long term memory, and vice versa.

Although, the multi store model is oversimplified and does not address the
actual nature of memory. It may be able to summarise the general points of the
way out brain retains information however it is too generalised as everyone
thinks cognitively unique. In addition to this, the multi store model is often
tested in labs which doesn’t relate to the real life situations which can affect the
way short term and long term memory works such as often significant traumatic
life experiences lead to long term memory loss as a coping mechanism.

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