Models of memory

Atkinson and Shifrin

Structure

• sensory memory-evidence from sperling
• STM-limited capacity and duration, mainly acoustic encoding
• LTM-unlimited capacity and encoding, mainly semantic encoding

Processes

• attention and maintenance rehearsal

Strengths

• Strong evidence to support claims for duration, capacity and encoding
• includes details of structure and processes
• has stimulated a lot of research which leads to increased understanding of memory
• Evidence for the three stores-primacy and recency effect, and sperling

Limitations

• oversimplified
• STM doesnt function as a unitary store-KF could process visual but not verbal information.
• LTM is not a unitary store- semantic episodic and procedural memories
• processing more important than maintenance rehearsal
• STM is not independent of LTM-ruchkin words and pseudo words

Baddeley and Hitch 

• Explains why you can do two tasks at the same time but not similar tasks
• Central executive-task allocation, small capacity
• phonological loop-phonological store and articulatory control process, maintenence rehearsal
• VisuoSpatial sketchpad-visual cache and inner scribe
• Episodic Buffer-general store that integrates info from other stores

Strengths

• explains word length effect
• Explains the memory deficits of KF
• Emphasises process rather than structure
• Maintenence rehearsal is only an optional process