Multi Store Model & Working Memory Model

Ever wondered why you can remember song lyrics from years ago but forget what you had for breakfast? Atkinson and Shiffrin's Multi Store Model explains memory as three separate stores: sensory memory (lasts less than a second), short-term memory (holds 7±2 items for 18-30 seconds), and long-term memory (permanent storage with unlimited capacity).

The model shows information flowing from sensory input through rehearsal into long-term storage. However, Baddeley's research revealed that short-term memory processes sound differently from long-term memory, which focuses on meaning - proving these are genuinely separate systems.

Baddeley and Hitch's Working Memory Model improved on this by replacing simple short-term memory with four components: the central executive (controls attention), phonological loop (processes sounds), visuospatial sketchpad (handles visual information), and episodic buffer (temporarily combines information). This explains why you can listen to music whilst doing homework - different parts of working memory handle each task.

Key Point: The working memory model better explains everyday memory tasks than the basic multi-store approach, which is why it's preferred by modern psychologists.

Types of Long-Term Memory & Forgetting

Your long-term memory isn't just one giant storage unit - it's actually three distinct types. Episodic memory stores personal experiences (like your last birthday), semantic memory holds general knowledge (like knowing London is England's capital), and procedural memory contains skills you perform automatically (like riding a bike or typing).

Clinical evidence from patient HM, who had brain damage, supports this division. His episodic memory was severely impaired, but his procedural and semantic memories remained largely intact, showing these systems operate independently.

Forgetting happens through several mechanisms. Retrieval failure occurs when information exists but you can't access it without the right cue - like context-dependent learning where you remember better in the same environment you learned something. Interference happens when similar memories compete, either from old information blocking new (proactive) or new information disrupting old (retroactive).

Remember: Understanding these forgetting mechanisms can actually improve your revision techniques - varying your study locations and avoiding similar topics back-to-back helps prevent interference.

Eyewitness Testimony & Cognitive Interviews

Your memory isn't like a video recording - it's surprisingly unreliable and easily influenced. Loftus and Palmer's famous car crash study showed how leading questions can distort memory. Participants who heard "smashed" estimated higher speeds than those who heard "contacted", proving that question wording affects recall.

Post-event discussion also contaminates memory through memory conformity. When witnesses talk after an incident, they often combine information and create false memories. Gabbert's research found 71% of participants recalled incorrect details after discussing what they'd seen, compared to 0% who didn't discuss it.

The anxiety effect on eyewitness testimony follows a U-shaped curve. Moderate anxiety can improve recall, but extreme stress (like weapon focus where attention fixates on a gun) actually reduces accuracy. This explains why eyewitness testimony can be both surprisingly accurate and completely wrong.

Cognitive interviews improve accuracy by using four techniques: reporting everything, reinstating the context, reversing the order of events, and changing perspective. Though time-consuming and requiring special training, they produce 41% more accurate information than standard police interviews.

Real-World Impact: These findings have transformed how police conduct interviews and how courts evaluate eyewitness testimony, making the justice system more reliable.