Multi-Store Model (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

1) What is the Multi-Store Model?

2) What are strengths of the multi-store model?

3) What are the weaknesses of the multi-store model?

1) There are three stores to the multi store model (MSM). The first is the sensory store which receives information through the senses-sight, smell, taste, touch and sight. Then there is the short-term memory (STM) store which is where information is stored briefly unless rehearsed and has a capacity of 4 chunks of information. The chunks of information is moved to the long-term memory store through rehearsal. The capacity and duration of long-term memory (LTM) is unlimited.

2) It provides an account of memory in terms of structure (the three stores) and processes (rehearsal). It has clear predictions about memory so psychologists can easily test it.

3) MSM describes LTM as one single store whereas there are patients such as KF with amnesia that indicate there are different types of LTM. Enduring memories are more/less memorable through the way they are processed.