Active learning ideas
This topic focuses on the Multi-store model (MSM) of memory, a cornerstone of cognitive psychology. Students learn to distinguish between the sensory register, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). The curriculum requires a deep dive into the specific characteristics of each store, including their capacity, duration, and how information is coded. This model provides a structural framework that helps students understand the flow of information through the human mind.
Activity 01
Students take on roles as 'Sensory Register', 'STM', and 'LTM'. They must pass 'data' (coloured tokens) between them based on specific rules: the STM can only hold 7 tokens and must 'rehearse' them (toss them in the air) to keep them, or they are 'lost' (dropped).
What are the features of short-term memory?
Activity 02
In small groups, students conduct the Peterson and Peterson task (duration of STM) and Miller's digit span test (capacity). They collect their own data and compare it to the original findings to evaluate the reliability of the MSM.
How does information transfer to long-term memory?
Activity 03
Posters around the room highlight different criticisms of the MSM, such as the role of 'flashbulb memories' or the oversimplified nature of rehearsal. Students move in pairs to rank these criticisms from 'most damaging' to 'least damaging' to the theory.
What are the limitations of the Multi-store model?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Short-term memory and long-term memory are the same thing.
They differ significantly in capacity and duration. Active simulations where students see the 'overflow' of a limited STM store compared to the vastness of LTM help clarify these distinct boundaries.
Information stays in the sensory register for several minutes.
Sensory memory lasts only a fraction of a second. Using a quick-fire visual task where images disappear instantly helps students realise that without immediate attention, information is lost almost immediately.
Methods used in this brief
Processes of Memory
Students explore how information is encoded, stored, and retrieved in the human brain. They will differentiate between visual, acoustic, and semantic encoding.
8 methodologies
Memory as an Active Process
Students investigate Bartlett's theory of reconstructive memory and the concept of schemas. They will apply this to real-world scenarios such as eyewitness testimony.
8 methodologies