Multi-Store Model of Memory

Ever wondered why you forget a phone number seconds after hearing it? The Multi-Store Model explains this through three distinct memory stores that process information differently.

The sensory memory store captures everything your senses detect—sights, sounds, smells, touch and taste. It has enormous capacity but information vanishes within seconds unless you pay attention to it. Only information you focus on moves to the next stage.

Your short-term memory (STM) holds information you've chosen to remember temporarily. It can only store about 7±2 items for approximately 18 seconds unless you actively rehearse the information. STM primarily uses acoustic (sound-based) encoding, which is why repeating something helps you remember it.

With enough rehearsal, information transfers to your long-term memory (LTM), which has unlimited capacity and can store information indefinitely. LTM mainly uses semantic (meaning-based) encoding.

Quick Tip: To move information from short-term to long-term memory, try connecting new information to things you already know, rather than just repeating it mindlessly!

While this model helps explain how rehearsal strengthens memory, it has limitations. Critics point out it doesn't explain how we remember things we never rehearsed or why some people with brain injuries lose specific types of memory while retaining others.