1|Page
Psychology Key Studies A Level
PAPER 1 WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔- Created the Multi-
Store Model of Memory
- Includes the sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory
Walsh and Thompson (1978) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the SR
- Said the iconic store has an average duration of 500 milliseconds
- Decreases as individuals get older
- Suggests duration is limited and dependant on age
Baddeley (1966) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Coding in the STM
- Participants given list acoustically similar words performed the worst (10%)
- Recall for other lists was around 60-80%
- Acoustic confusion suggests the STM is coded acoustically
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,2|Page
Coding in the LTM
- Participants given semantically similar words performed the worst (55%)
- Recall for other lists was around 70-85%
- Semantic confusion suggests the LTM is coded semantically
Jacobs (1887) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the STM
- People could recall 7 digits but 9 items for letters in an immediate recall task
- Letters have probably been rehearsed more individually than every number
Simon (1974) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the STM
- Said the effectiveness of chunking varies with the material being recalled and the
amount of information within the chunks
Daneman and Carpenter (1980) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the
STM
- Found capacity varies between 5 and 20 chunks
- It is different between those with advanced and poor reading comprehension
- Suggests practice affects STM capacity
Peterson and Peterson (1959) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the STM
- Got students to recall 3 letters (trigrams) after longer and longer intervals
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,3|Page
- 90% were recalled correctly after 3 seconds
- 5% after 18 seconds
- Suggests duration is between 20-30 seconds
Reitman (1974) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the STM
- Suggests the brief duration of the STM is due to displacement as it has a limited
capacity
Nelson and Rothbart (1972) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Coding in the LTM
- Showed acoustic coding also occurs in the LTM memory
- Participants made recall errors involving homophones (air+heir)
- Suggests there are different varieties
Anokhin (1973) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the LTM
- Concluded the number of possible neuronal connections in the brain is 1 followed by
10.5 million km of naughts
Bahrick (1975) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the LTM
- Found people remember some information such as names and faces for a lifetime
- Shows the LTM is semantically coded
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) - the working memory model - ✔✔- Created the working
memory model
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
, 4|Page
- Includes the central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and
episodic buffer
Baddeley - the working memory model - ✔✔The central executive
- Found it difficult to generate lists of numbers while pressing letters on a keyboard
- Suggests the two tasks were competing for CE resources which has a limited capacity
The central executive
- Found participants had more difficulty doing visual tasks than doing both visual and
verbal tasks
- Shows there must be separate slave systems as they weren't having to compete
The phonological loop
- Found participants recalled more short words in order than longer words
- Suggests the capacity of the PL is set by how long it takes to say words rather than the
actual word
Torjani and Grossi (1995) - the working memory model - ✔✔The phonological loop
- Found SC had brain damage affecting functioning of his PL but not his VSS
- Suggests they are separate
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
Psychology Key Studies A Level
PAPER 1 WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔- Created the Multi-
Store Model of Memory
- Includes the sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory
Walsh and Thompson (1978) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the SR
- Said the iconic store has an average duration of 500 milliseconds
- Decreases as individuals get older
- Suggests duration is limited and dependant on age
Baddeley (1966) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Coding in the STM
- Participants given list acoustically similar words performed the worst (10%)
- Recall for other lists was around 60-80%
- Acoustic confusion suggests the STM is coded acoustically
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,2|Page
Coding in the LTM
- Participants given semantically similar words performed the worst (55%)
- Recall for other lists was around 70-85%
- Semantic confusion suggests the LTM is coded semantically
Jacobs (1887) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the STM
- People could recall 7 digits but 9 items for letters in an immediate recall task
- Letters have probably been rehearsed more individually than every number
Simon (1974) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the STM
- Said the effectiveness of chunking varies with the material being recalled and the
amount of information within the chunks
Daneman and Carpenter (1980) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the
STM
- Found capacity varies between 5 and 20 chunks
- It is different between those with advanced and poor reading comprehension
- Suggests practice affects STM capacity
Peterson and Peterson (1959) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the STM
- Got students to recall 3 letters (trigrams) after longer and longer intervals
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,3|Page
- 90% were recalled correctly after 3 seconds
- 5% after 18 seconds
- Suggests duration is between 20-30 seconds
Reitman (1974) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the STM
- Suggests the brief duration of the STM is due to displacement as it has a limited
capacity
Nelson and Rothbart (1972) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Coding in the LTM
- Showed acoustic coding also occurs in the LTM memory
- Participants made recall errors involving homophones (air+heir)
- Suggests there are different varieties
Anokhin (1973) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Capacity of the LTM
- Concluded the number of possible neuronal connections in the brain is 1 followed by
10.5 million km of naughts
Bahrick (1975) - multi-store model of memory - ✔✔Duration of the LTM
- Found people remember some information such as names and faces for a lifetime
- Shows the LTM is semantically coded
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) - the working memory model - ✔✔- Created the working
memory model
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
, 4|Page
- Includes the central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and
episodic buffer
Baddeley - the working memory model - ✔✔The central executive
- Found it difficult to generate lists of numbers while pressing letters on a keyboard
- Suggests the two tasks were competing for CE resources which has a limited capacity
The central executive
- Found participants had more difficulty doing visual tasks than doing both visual and
verbal tasks
- Shows there must be separate slave systems as they weren't having to compete
The phonological loop
- Found participants recalled more short words in order than longer words
- Suggests the capacity of the PL is set by how long it takes to say words rather than the
actual word
Torjani and Grossi (1995) - the working memory model - ✔✔The phonological loop
- Found SC had brain damage affecting functioning of his PL but not his VSS
- Suggests they are separate
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
