The value of the Multi - Store Model of memory

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Discuss the value of the Multi Store Model of memory (12 marks) The MSM of memory consists of four main components: the Attention System (Sensory Store), the Short Term Store (often known as the working memory), the Rehearsal Loop and the Long Term Store. The Attention System filters incoming information. If this information is paid attention to, it gets transferred into the Short Term Store. However, if the information is not acknowledged it is lost/decays. The Rehearsal Loop allows the rehearsal of information resulting in it being transferred into either the Long Term Store, or due to maintenance rehearsal, the information will be able to stay stored in the Short Term Store. The main characteristics of the Short Term Store are its size, which is limited and can only store up to seven pieces of information (plus or minus 2) at a given time, its duration, which is less than thirty seconds, and its encoding, favouring acoustic sounds (recognising information by how its sounds). The main and contrasting characteristics of the Long Term Store are again its size, which is unlimited, its duration, which is a lifetime, and its encoding, favouring semantic forms (recognising information by its meaning). The theory of the Multi Store Model claims that the memory consists of two separate storage areas. Glanzer and Cunitz (1966) came up with the theory of the “Serial Positioning experiment”. They gave participants in their experiment three lists of words to remember. It resulted in participants remembering the first list of words (known as Primacy effect), and the last list of words (known as Recency effect), completely forgetting the middle list. This experiment supports the idea of the Multi Store Model as it states that the LTM and the STM are unitary stores (they cannot subdivide into different components). Glanzer and Cunitz suggested that the first list of words
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