How does the multi-store model explain the flow of information through memory?
The multi-store model of memory: sensory, short-term and long-term stores, their capacity, duration and encoding, and the roles of attention and rehearsal.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.1, covering Atkinson and Shiffrin's multi-store model, the sensory, short-term and long-term stores, their capacity, duration and encoding, and the roles of attention and rehearsal.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to describe Atkinson and Shiffrin's multi-store model of memory, name the three stores in order, state the capacity, duration and encoding of each store, and explain how attention and rehearsal move information between them. This is a core named model in the Memory topic of Paper 1, examined with both description and evaluation items.
The three stores
- Sensory register: receives all sensory information; very large capacity but very short duration (under a second). Information is lost unless we pay attention to it.
- Short-term memory (STM): limited capacity of about 7 items (plus or minus 2) and a duration of roughly 18 to 30 seconds. It is mainly encoded acoustically (by sound).
- Long-term memory (LTM): potentially unlimited capacity and can last up to a lifetime. It is mainly encoded semantically (by meaning).
How information moves between stores
Evidence and evaluation
The model is supported by case studies of brain-damaged patients who can use one store but not another, which suggests the stores are separate and that damage can affect one without the other. It is also supported by studies of free recall showing better memory for the first items (rehearsed into long-term memory) and the last items (still in short-term memory). However, the model is criticised for being too simple: it treats short-term and long-term memory as single, unitary stores, when evidence (such as different types of long-term memory and different forms of short-term memory) suggests each has several components.
Try this
Q1. Name the three stores in the multi-store model in the correct order. [3 marks]
- Cue. Sensory register, short-term memory, long-term memory.
Q2. Explain the role of rehearsal in the multi-store model. [2 marks]
- Cue. Rehearsal keeps information in short-term memory and transfers it to long-term memory.
Q3. State the approximate capacity and duration of short-term memory. [2 marks]
- Cue. About 7 items (plus or minus 2), lasting roughly 18 to 30 seconds.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20184 marksDescribe the multi-store model of memory. (Paper 1, Section B)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Describe item rewards the three stores plus the processes that move information between them.
Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed three stores. Information first enters the sensory register, which has a large capacity but very brief duration. If we pay attention to it, it transfers to short-term memory, which holds about seven items for roughly 18 to 30 seconds and encodes mainly by sound. Rehearsal (repeating the information) then transfers it to long-term memory, which has potentially unlimited capacity, can last a lifetime, and encodes mainly by meaning.
Markers reward naming the three stores in order, giving their capacity and duration, and naming the processes (attention from sensory to short-term, rehearsal from short-term to long-term).
AQA 20214 marksEvaluate the multi-store model of memory. (Paper 1, Section B)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Evaluate item rewards strengths and limitations with a judgement.
Strength: it is supported by evidence that short-term and long-term memory are separate stores, including case studies of brain-damaged patients who can use one store but not the other (for example, a patient who could form no new long-term memories but had an intact short-term memory). Limitation: the model is too simple because it treats short-term and long-term memory as single, unitary stores, whereas evidence (such as different types of long-term memory) shows each store has more than one type, so the model does not capture this complexity.
Markers reward a developed strength (separate-stores evidence), a developed limitation (oversimplified single stores), and a judgement.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification — AQA (2017)