Based on the above idea about memory, psychologists have tried to form models, which aim to explain the different forms of memory and its different components. Atkinson and Shriffin in1968 came up with the first model of memory. They aimed to explain the structure of memory and explain how information is transferred from short-term memory (STM) to long-term memory (LTM). They named this concept of the memory model the MULITI-STORE MODEL. It suggested that memory was split into three separate stores: the sensory memory, the short-term memory and the long-term memory. Atkinson and Shriffrin sated that each store had its own special function, information entered the sensory memory, information is rehearsed in the STM and if rehearsed sufficiently then it would be transferred to the LTM. This model of how memory worked was accepted for a short while as it was backed up by other studies such as Atkinson’s 1970 primacy and recency experiment. He found when participants were presented with a list of words to remember, that they recalled first and last items best. The first items are rehearsed and so enter LTM. The last items are recalled in STM, thus proving that there are different memory stores. However despite this the multi-store model was full proof as it had huge holes in its research for example it failed to clearly distinguish between the different stores. It also did not answer the question of why individuals remember some bits of information better than others. Overall the multi-store model presented a very simplistic view of memory and how it functioned. In reality the memory system is far more complex and requires a much more comprehensive analysis.
Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart 1972 presented a new model of memory using the ideas and concepts found by Atkinson and Shriffrin but they took it to a new level. They argued that the concept of rehearsal in the multi-store model was not sufficient enough to explain the LTM store. They believed that it is the depth of processing which determines whether information is stored over a long, rather than a short period of time. Craik and Lockhart noted that information could be processed in several different ways, ranging from relatively superficial shallow processing through to more effortful and lasting deep processing. They proposed that when the individual rehearses information it could be transferred to either one of the following: Maintenance, where repeating the item of the words over and over again would mean that it is effective for remembering information for a short period of time. Elaborative, where learning of new material relates to information already stored. This is backed by a study carried out by Anderson in 1990 that found the levels of processing to be enhanced by the degree or the depth of processing model where the information is learnt through elaborative rehearsal. He summed up his findings by stating that the more an individual thinks about the new piece of information, the more organized it is thus it relates to existing knowledge and therefore the deeper the processing.
Craik and Tulving 1975 also add extra support to this alternative model of memory. They presented participants with unrelated words and asked them a series of questions about each word. The results offered a clear support for levels of processing. The deeper the level of processing performed by subjects the slower their response but the more accurate their decision. Craik and Tulving found that the level of processing of information leads to better LTM when the participants looked at the features of the information. They found that when participants looked at the words this helped to deepen the level of processing but this was more so when the participants concentrated on the way in which the words sounded where the sounds of the individual letters also helped to deepen the level of processing. They found when the participants looked at the meaning of the words they recalled them better thus suggesting deeper level of processing involved better recall when they associated the words in the list with their meaning.
Nilsson and Cohen 1988 found that cognitive encoding helps to improve the levels of processing as it helps to locate the information to be retrieved at a later time. Nilsson and Cohen study found that participants, who not only saw a series of objects but also actually performed some action on these objects, could remember more items on the list better in a test of free recall.
Based on the research carried out by Craik and Tulving for levels of processing and with Craik and Lockhart, the experiment that is going to be carried out will aim to test the difference between the levels of processing with visual and acoustic stores.
Craik and Lockhart found that information that is given acoustically has more depth than visual information and therefore more depth means acoustic words are remembered for a longer period of time. The experiment is going to test this theory.
When trying to remember a visual piece of information, depending on how the information is presented whether it is letterform or picture form we use different encoding methods. When remembering letterform individuals tend to look at the letters in the words and the way that they are formed. All of these details will act as cues when recalling the words at a later time. Again the meaning of the words acts as a cue.
