The Multi-store Model

What is it's role? The first store which holds the sensory information received through all the senses for a brief period of time. 

Whats it's capacity? The capacity of the SR is very large, with the information contained being in an unprocessed, highly detailed and ever-changing format.

What's it's duration? Between the sensory register and short-term memory there is a filter called ‘attention'. If attention isn't payed information can be lost. 

• Iconic memory (visual): 1/2 a second 
• Echoic (sound): 3 seconds 

How is information coded? There is very little coding in the sensory register, infomation remains in its raw form as senses.           haptic (touch)

What's it's capacity?

it is universally agreed that people can hold about seven items in STM.

What's it's duratiom?

How long information can stay in short-term memory ranges from a few seconds up to a minute, but for most of us, it is somewhere in between: textbooks often refer to between 15 - 30 seconds, (but this can be extended due to rehearsal).

How is information coded? 

coding is mainly acoustic.  When a person is presented with a list of numbers and letters, they will try to hold them in STM by rehearsing them (verbally).  Rehearsal is a verbal process regardless of whether the list of items is presented acoustically (someone reads them out), or visually (on a sheet of paper). 

What's it's capacity?

The capacity in LTM is generally accepted to be unlimited

What's it's Duration?

This is dependent of the person’s life span, as memories can last up to a life-time.

How is information coded?

Information is coded semantically in LTM, especially for verbal information. This means that information is stored in LTM when it has meaning or in other words, some relevance or importance to us.