How Many Different Types of Memory System Are There?

Although the belief that remembering is composed of some(prenominal) distinct systems is non novel, it is all around the mid 20th century that experimental studies carried out on amnesic patients have started to confirm it (Squire, 2004). This essay will discuss the different types of retention systems that have been found, their distinctions and essay supporting their existence derived from studies on dimoutcs. Atkinson and Shiffrins (1968) multi-store manakin suggests that memory is a flow of knowledge neat through three stores (Myers, 2010).The first system called sensory memory (SM) processes mainly visual and audile information from our environment (Myers, 2010). It is made up of several comp acents associated with each sense and filters information experienced by the senses iconic SM which receives visual information has a very short retention time of merely a half of a second while counterfeit SM which receives auditory stimuli has a slightly hourlong retention t ime of three to four seconds (Sperling, 1960 Myers, 2010). If attention is brought to sensory information, it is transferred to the next system called short consideration memory (STM) (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968).This system processes visual and auditory information received from SM for approximately one second base and also temporarily uses retrieved information from the long-term memory for problem-solving (Myers, 2010). Millers (1956) study has shown that STM is not only limited in retention duration exclusively also in capacity having on average a storage capacity of seven bits of information whether verbal or numerical (Myers, 2010). The stomach system is long term memory (LTM), often referred to as the permanent storage (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968).As its cognomen suggests, it has immeasurable capacity to store a vast amount of information such as motor achievements, language, autobiographical and factual information (Baddeley, Eysenck, & Anderson, 2009). The three basic memory stores argon distinct from each other in terms of encoded information, capacity and duration of information retention (McLeod, 2007). One of the strongest evidence to support this distinction lies in Murdocks (1962) experiment when presented with a list of nomenclature, the tendency was that the participants would more likely mean the first words (primacy meat) and the last words (recency effect) than the words in the iddle of the list (Myers, 2010). This is known as the in series(p) position effect whereby the first words are guessed since they have been transferred to LTM and the last words were still 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 dickens different and separate stores (McLeod, 2008). Research on patients suffering from amnesia also support the multi-store model (Groome, 2006).One classic case is reported by Corkin (196 8) about a patient HM who suffered from anterograde amnesia He was inefficient to form new memories and lost part of his existing memories (Groome, 2006). However, despite his inability to take in new memories, he was still able to have a conversation thus indicating that his STM processes were constitutional with normal capacity and duration (Wickelgren, 1968 as cited in Groome, 2006). He lost the capacity of only one store hence supporting the idea that STM and LTM are separated (Groome, 2006).Another case is a patient known as KF who suffered damaged to his STM he was still able to temporarily recall visual information but could not process auditory information which made conversation hard-fought (Myers, 2010). On the other hand, his LTM processes were retained, again providing evidence that STM and LTM are separated systems (Myers, 2010). Although KFs case study explicitly provides strong evidence for distinction of STM and LTM, it also questions the idea of having only on e 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 complex and has separate stores for visual and auditory processing (Groome, 2006). Based on this finding, Baddeley and Hitch (1974) argued that STM illustrated by the multi-store model is too simplistic (McLeod, 2008). They substantial another model of STM known as the Working Memory (WM) which comprised of a ii subsystems controlled by the central executive (Groome, 2006).The central executive takes on cognitive processes such as problem-solving while imperative allocation of data 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 about visual and spatial information (McLeod, 2008 Groome, 2006). By analyzing in more depth KFs case study, it is reported that KF had suffered impairment of his PL but still had his VSS abilities, hence providing support that STM is not one(a) 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 surprisingly could still learn new motor skills although he was not aware that he actually learnt the skills (Groome, 2006). This finding questions the unified nature of LTM and suggests that there are two memory systems (Squire, 2004). McDougall (1924) investigated the term implicit memory which involves unconscious acquisition and explicit memory which involves learning with ken (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 problematical in k nowledge of skills which would explain why HM could still learn new motor skills (Groome, 2006). harmonize 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 individuals 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 general knowledge of the world such as the crownwork of cities (Tulving, 1972). Research on memory is arduous and the problems questioned are not easily solved (Tulving, 1985). At the beginning, the resultant role to the title question would be three but when looking into further research based on studies of amnesiacs, the chip increased to about approximately seven.However, being aware of the difficult nature of memory and the limitations of its study, the m ore reasonable and sensible answer would be at least three and probably umteen 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 motive (pp. 13-195). new-fangled York, NY Academic Press. Baddeley, A. D. , Eysenck, M. W. , & Anderson, M. C. (2009). Memory. New York Psychology Press. Baddeley, A.D. , & Hitch, G. J. (1974). Working memory. In G. A. Bower (Ed. ), Recent advances in learning and motivation (pp. 47-90). New York, NY Academic Press. Brooks, S. L. (2012). Long-term memory of American Sign Language in a chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes). 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