Contrast two models of memory with reference to research studies

The two models of memory that will be contrasted in this essay are the Multi-store memory
model (MSM) and the Levels of processing model (LOP). They differ in their explanations of
how we store and process information, which will be the focus of the essay. Memory models are
used to explain the cognitive process of memory for the purpose of comprehension and
prediction. To explain the MSM the studies I will be using are the Atkinson and Shiffrin study
and Ganzer and Cunitz study, and to explain the LOP model I will be using Craik & Tulving
study.

The MSM suggests that there are three memory stores, each responsible for a different type of
memory, through which information passes in a linear manner, meaning this model takes a
structured approach. The first being the Sensory Memory, second is Short Term Memory (STM)
and lastly Long Term Memory (LTM). Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed this model in 1968.
Firstly the sensory stimulus is detected by our senses and enters the sensory memory, if there is
attention paid to this sensory memory it enters STM. When rehearsed it is transferred to LTM.
The stores differ in capacity and duration. A study done by Ganzer and Cunitz aimed to test the
primacy-recency effect. Participants were asked to read a series of 20 words, they were then
asked to recall the 20 words in any order. The results showed that participants remembered the
the first and last few words better, showing a pattern known as the “serial position curve”. They
remembered the first few words because they had more time to rehearse the words, encoding
them into their long term memory store and the last few words because it was still in the short
term memory store. This provides evidence for multi-store model of memory because it supports
the existence of spate STM and LTM stores. This study is low in ecological validity since it was
performed in a lab environment, it also ignored participant's understanding of the words and
there was only one culture tested which is a limitation since education in some cultures may train
students to remember things differently. A strength of the MSM is that is was the first model to
describe how memory processes and it gave a good understanding of the structure and process of
the STM which allowed researchers to expand on this model. The weaknesses of this model
include a reductionist approach to explain memory, the model is oversimplified because it
suggests that both short-term and long-term memory operate in a single, uniform fashion, also it
does not explain what and why do certain information attract attention and encodes into the
stores.

The LOP model argues that there is no clear distinction between short term and long term
memory, and so there are no LTM or STM stores and that memory is a by-product of the
processing of information, meaning this is a non-structured approach. Instead of concentrating on
the stores involved, this theory concentrates on the processes involved in memory. There is
Shallow Processing which has two forms, Structural Processing which is when we encode only
the physical qualities of something, and Phonemic Processing which is when we encode audible
qualities. Shallow Processing only involves maintenance rehearsal and leads to short-term
retention of information. Then there is Deep Processing which has a form of Semantic
Processing, which happens when we encode the meaning of a word (understanding) and relate it
to other information. Deep Processing involves elaboration rehearsal which involves a more
meaningful analysis of information and use of logic processes, hence leading to better recall. A
study done by Craik and Tulving aimed to test the theory of Levels of Processing. Participants
were presented with 60 words and one of three questions to the words which were designed to
activate different levels of processing. e.g. Is the word in capital or small letters? (Structural
processing); What is the meaning of this word? (Semantic processing). Participants were then
given a pool of 180 words in which the original 60 words were mixed into and had to pick out
the original 60. Participants mostly picked out words that were asked with questions that
triggered Semantic Processing. This supports the LOP model since semantically processed words
involve elaboration rehearsal and deep processing which results in more accurate recall while
phonemic and visually processed words involve shallow processing and less accurate recall.
Some limitations of this study involve the serial positioning effect, meaning words that were at
the end of the list will still be in the participant's STM, then understanding of words since
participants might not understand some words therefore taking longer to rehearse them. And
ecological validity was low since the experiment was done in lab conditions. The strengths of
this model are that it is an improvement on Atkinson & Shiffrin’s account of transfer from STM
to LTM, since elaboration rehearsal leads to recall of information than just maintenance rehearsal
and this model changed the direction of memory research, because it showed that encoding was
not a simple, straightforward process. This widened the focus from seeing long-term memory as
a simple storage unit to seeing it as a complex processing system. The weaknesses are that it
does not explain how the deeper processing results in better memories.

The differences between the two models are the ways in which they approach memory
processing and show different types of rehearsals.