Cognitive Psychology Memory

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Nawwal Dada  12A

Psychology Assessment for Miss Fletcher

Psychology Unit 1 – January 2006

Cognitive Psychology

Question two

 

  1. Describe the multi store model of memory.

The multi-store memory model was the model which was discovered in 1968 by Atkinson and Shiffron . The aim of the study was to identify how memories are stored and if they are able to go from short term memory (which has a capacity of 7 plus or minus 2, a maximum duration of 18 seconds and an acoustic encoding) to long term memory (which has an unlimited duration and capacity and a semantic encoding) and vice versa. Their research indicate that there are three memory stores; the sensory store which take in information from the five senses attention, which is so limited i.e. the blink of and eye and transfers it to the short term memory, here the information is rehearsed to be remembered and if that information is rehearsed long enough it will be transferred to the long term memory. Between the short term and long term memory, information is able to be transferred and retrieved. Criticisms state that this is a good explanation for the storage of memories because it has much research into it however it does not take into consideration the different types of long term memories i.e. procedural and episodic.

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     b) Outline one explanation for forgetting in short term memory.

The displacement theory is a good explanation for why  forgetting occurs in short term memory, this is because Jacobs found that the capacity of short term memory is on average 7 but can hold a maximum of 9 units at any one time. If this limit is exceeded one of the earliest units stored in the short term will have to be replaced or forced out, in order to make room for the new unit, therefore causing it to be displaced.

  1. Outline one explanation for ...

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