Evaluate One model of memory (12m)

An example of a model of memory is the multi store memory model (Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968). Their model describes the way that the sensory system processes information and input it into the brain. The information is then stored in short term memory as the human gives attention to it, after revisiting it and revising it, the information is then stored into long term memory where it can be kept for possibly an infinite amount of time. This model of memory is supported by the case of HM. When HM was 7 years of age, he had a bicycle accident, which caused trauma to his head, shortly after he began suffering from epilepsy fits which affected both his personal and work life greatly as he grew up. After making a tough decision, HM had neurosurgery to try to reduce the dangerousness and frequency of these fits which resulted in him losing his recent memories, being unable to recognise hospital staff and holding conversations but forgetting about them minutes later. HM proves the multi store model by showing that damage to the short term memory and pathway to long term memory can lead to having memory issues like HM. Since HM was unable to remember the recent conversations or topics he may have discussed, there was no sign of him remembering the conversation which shows he was not able to hold things in short term memory and therefore wasn’t able to store information in long term memory either. This case therefore supports the multi store memory model. Another way that the multi store memory model can be shown to be true and existent, is the Clive Wearing case. Clive Wearing was affected by a brain infection—a herpes encephalitis—affecting especially the parts of his brain concerned with memory. This left him with an attention span of only a few seconds. Currently, Wearing seems to be under the impression that his wife hasn’t met him in a long time and that his children are still doing their GCSEs. The disease that has infected him has clearly affected his short term memory and has made it hard for him to make long term memories which shows that when the short term memory is affected then long term memories cannot be formed well and therefore it does support the flow of the normal multi store memory model and what happens when information cannot be retained. Although Clive may still have his procedural memory, he has lost his semantic memory and episodic memory which shows that he really doesn’t have perfect long term memory, which again proves the multi store memory model. In conclusion, this shows that the multi store model is effective in showing the types of memory models and is proven by the 2 unique case studies of HM and Clive Wearing. This means that memory can be represented by the multi store memory model.