Summary Multi-Store Model of Memory

Multi-store Model – 12/16 marker content
Assumptions:
Information flows through 3 separate stores in a fixed linear order.
 Each store has a different role in memory processing
There are three separate unitary stores:
 Sensory register
 Short term memory
 Long term memory

Sensory register:
 Gathers information from sensory organs
o Each is coded differently
 Has a large capacity
 Limited duration of less than 2 seconds
 Paying attention to information moves it to the short term memory store
 Not paying attention to information leads to rapid decay which causes forgetting

Short-term Memory:
 Limited capacity of 5-9 items
 Limited duration of 18-30 seconds
 Coding is acoustic
 Rehearsal allows information to be held in STM and transfers information from STM to long term memory store




Long-term Memory:
 Unlimited capacity
 Duration of up to a lifetime
 Encodes information semantically
 Forgetting occurs due to interference and retrieval failure