Support for the Multi-Store Model of Memory

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Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) The Serial Position Effect

Research aim: to investigate whether STM and LTM are different memory stores.

Procedure

Participants were given a list of common words to memorise. They were then asked to recall as many as possible.

Results

Participants remembered more words on average from the beginning (the tendency to remember more words from the beginning is called the primacy effect) and end (the tendency to remember more words from the end is called the recency effect) of the list than the middle. This is known as the serial position effect.

Conclusion

Participants remembered more words from the beginning of the list because they had been transferred by rehearsal to the long-term memory.
Words at the end of the list were still in the STM.
Words in the middle were forgotten because of the limited capacity of the STM (7 +/– 2 (Miller)).
This supports the theory that the MSM that STM and LTM are separate stores.

Evaluation of Glanzer & Cunitz

Strengths
- Reliable – easy to replicate.
- Practical applications for improving memory of important information.
Limitations
- Lacks ecological validity – not how we use memory in everyday life.

Milner et al (1966) - Case Study on Epilepsy Patient HM

HM suffered from severe epilepsy. He underwent surgery. However, the surgery went wrong and destroyed his hippocampus, leaving him with severe anterograde amnesia. This meant he was unable to make any new memories.

Research aim and method

Research aim: To investigate anterograde amnesia.
Research method: A case study using numerous psychometric tests, experiments and observations.

Results

HM did have the ability to learn new motor skills so his procedural memory was intact. But he could not make new episodic or semantic memories. He had a working memory as he was able to hold conversations. His issue was that his STM and LTM were no longer connected.

Conclusion

Cases of brain damage, such as HM, support the distinction between LTM and STM.
Damage to the hippocampi destroys LTM and leaves patients trapped in a world of experiences which only last as long as their STM.

Evaluation

Strengths
- In depth and detailed.
Limitations
- Cannot generalise from a case study.

Korsakoff’s Syndrome & Limitations of the Multi-Store Model

Here's how Korsakoff's syndrome provides evidence in support of the multi-store model of memory. There are some limitations to the model.

Korsakoff’s syndrome

Chronic alcoholics sometimes develop Korsakoff’s syndrome, which causes brain damage.
However, it has little effect on STM, but severely impairs LTM. This suggests that STM and LTM are stored in different areas of the brain. This provides further evidence to support the multistore model of memory.

Limitations of the MSM of memory

It is likely that there is more than one type of STM. Certain types of brain damage show deficits with different areas of STM. Similarly, LTM has more than one type.
What is rehearsal? The model states maintenance rehearsal as a way of practicing and maintaining memories. However, rehearsal can also be elaborative – building on what you already know.
It is unlikely that memory is linear. It is more likely to be interaction between the memory stores, as suggested by the working memory model (WMM).