Multi Store Model Evaluation

Strengths and weaknesses of MSM with appropriate studies.

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Strength: Distinguishes stores

The multi store model distinguishes between a short term memory store and a long term memory store. This is supported by the case study of Clive Wearing.

Clive Weaving
Wearing has brain damage. He cannot remember any more than a moment of his personal history. He does not remember his wedding. He is constantly convinced he has just gained consciousness for the first time.

But he can still remember how to talk, walk, play music, read and write.

This case study shows that there must be seperate stores of memory.

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Strength: Distinguishes stores continued

Primacy effect = remembering words at the beginning of a list because they are in LTM.

Recently effect = remembering words at the end of a list because they are in STM.

Glazer and Cunitz 1966

Procedure: Participants were shown a list of words, one at a time and then asked to free recall the words. One group free recalled immediately and the other group free recalled after 30 seconds delay with no rehearsal (prevented by counting).

Findings: the group who immediately recalled showed primacy effect and recency effect. The group who recalled after a delay showed only primacy effect.

Conclusion: Both groups remembered words at the beginning of the list because they were in long term memory. But the delay group didn't remember the words at the end of the list because they were not able to maintain the words in short term memory. This shows there are two different stores of memory.

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Weaknesses

Reductionist
The multi store model is too simple to explain the entire system of memory. It does not take into account all factors such as the different strategies people employ to remember things or how some things are just easier to remember than others because they are more distinctive or funny.

Does not explain processes
The multi store model focuses on the structure of memory but does not explain the processes of recoding.

Means of transfer from STM to LTM
People can acquire new knowledge in their LTM without conscious rehearsal.

The working memory model
The theory of WMM contradicts that STM is a single store with a small capacity.

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