How Many Different Types of Memory System Are There?

Although the belief that retentiveness is composed of several distinct strategys is not novel, it is only around the mid(prenominal) 20th century that experimental studies carried out on amnesic forbearings progress to started to confirm it (Squire, 2004). This essay will discuss the different types of keeping systems that obtain been found, their government notes and evidence supporting their existence derived from studies on amnesiacs. Atkinson and Shiffrins (1968) multi-store model suggests that retrospect is a flow of education operateed through three stores (Myers, 2010).The showtime system called sensory computer storage (SM) processes mainly optic and auditory discipline from our environment (Myers, 2010). It is made up of several comp 1nts associated with each sense and filters information experienced by the senses iconic SM which receives visual information has a very short computer storage time of merely a one-half of a second while echoic SM which receives auditory stimuli has a slightly longer retention time of three to four seconds (Sperling, 1960 Myers, 2010). If economic aid is brought to sensory information, it is transferred to the next system called short term computer computer storage ( short-term repositing) (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968).This system processes visual and auditory information received from SM for approximately one minute and also temporarily uses retrieved information from the long-term storehouse for problem-solving (Myers, 2010). milling machines (1956) study has shown that STM is not only limited in retention duration but also in aptitude having on average a storage susceptibility of seven bits of information whether vocal or numerical (Myers, 2010). The last system is long term retrospection (LTM), often referred to as the permanent storage (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968).As its name suggests, it has unlimited capacity to store a vast amount of information such(prenominal) as motor skills, language, aut obiographical and factual information (Baddeley, Eysenck, & Anderson, 2009). The three basic memory stores are distinct from each some other(prenominal) in terms of encoded information, capacity and duration of information retention (McLeod, 2007). One of the strongest evidence to support this trace lies in Murdocks (1962) experiment when drinked with a list of course, the tendency was that the compositionicipants would to a greater extent likely recall the first delivery (primacy subject) and the last words (recency effect) than the words in the iddle of the list (Myers, 2010). This is known as the serial position effect whereby the first words are recalled since they have been transferred to LTM and the last words were sedate accessible in STM (Myers, 2010). However, the middle words were present for too long to be in the STM but not long enough to be encoded in LTM, giving evidence that STM and LTM are two different and separate stores (McLeod, 2008). Research on patien ts suffering from amnesia also support the multi-store model (Groome, 2006).One classic discipline is reported by Corkin (1968) just about a patient HM who suffered from anterograde amnesia He was un equal to(p) to form new memories and garbled part of his existing memories (Groome, 2006). However, despite his inability to create new memories, he was still able to have a conversation thus indicating that his STM processes were entire with normal capacity and duration (Wickelgren, 1968 as cited in Groome, 2006). He lost the capacity of only one store hence supporting the caprice that STM and LTM are separate (Groome, 2006).Another case is a patient known as KF who suffered distressd to his STM he was still able to temporarily recall visual information but could not process auditory information which made conversation difficult (Myers, 2010). On the other hand, his LTM processes were retained, again providing evidence that STM and LTM are separated systems (Myers, 2010). Altho ugh KFs case study explicitly provides strong evidence for distinction of STM and LTM, it also questions the idea of having only one STM (Groome, 2006).The damage in KFs STM seemed to have only affected the echoic and verbal aspects leaving the visual aspects intact (Groome, 2006). This suggests that STM is more hard and has separate stores for visual and auditory impact (Groome, 2006). Based on this finding, Baddeley and cheque (1974) argued that STM illustrated by the multi-store model is too simplistic (McLeod, 2008). They developed another model of STM known as the Working Memory (WM) which comprised of a two subsystems controlled by the central executive (Groome, 2006).The central executive takes on cognitive processes such as problem-solving while controlling allocation of information to the two subsystems namely Phonological loop (PL) which deals with auditory and speech-based information and visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS) which, as its name suggests, holds information abo ut visual and spatial information (McLeod, 2008 Groome, 2006). By analyzing in more depth KFs case study, it is reported that KF had suffered disablement of his PL but still had his VSS abilities, hence providing support that STM is not unitary but in fact divided into subsystems (Warrington & Shallice, 1972 as cited in Groome, 2006).Similarly, HM who had an impaired LTM was unable to form new memories but astonishingly could still learn new motor skills although he was not assured that he actually learnt the skills (Groome, 2006). This finding questions the unified nature of LTM and suggests that on that point are two memory systems (Squire, 2004). McDougall (1924) investigated the term implicit memory which involves unconscious learning and explicit memory which involves learning with consciousness (Graf & Schacter, 1985 Schacter, 1987 Brooks, 2012).Cohen and Squire (1980) suggested that amnesiacs such as HM had an impaired explicit or declarative memory which hindered their abilities to recall previous or make new memories of facts and events (Groome, 2006). They referred implicit memory as procedural memory involved in knowledge of skills which would exempt why HM could still learn new motor skills (Groome, 2006). harmonise to Tulving, Schacter and Stark (1982), declarative or explicit memory can be further separated into two conscious systems episodic and semantic memory (Squire, 2004).Episodic memory contains autobiographical contents, is a record of a persons personal history such as birth dates and deals with past experiences (Tulving 1972 1993 2002). In contrast, semantic memory is a storage system of facts, meanings of words and cosmopolitan knowledge of the world such as the capital of cities (Tulving, 1972). Research on memory is arduous and the problems questioned are not easily solved (Tulving, 1985). At the beginning, the answer to the title question would be three but when expression into further research based on studies of amnesiacs, the number increased to about approximately seven.However, being aware of the difficult nature of memory and the limitations of its study, the more reasonable and sensible answer would be at to the lowest degree three and probably many more (Tulving, 1985). References Atkinson, R. C. , & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence & J. T. Spense (Eds. ), The psychology of learning and motivation (pp. 13-195). bleak York, NY Academic Press. Baddeley, A. D. , Eysenck, M. W. , & Anderson, M. C. (2009). Memory. novel York Psychology Press. 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