Explain the multi-store memory model

The multi-store memory model is a cognitive model which was designed by Atkinson and Shifrin (1968) which conceptualises the different stores of memory. It begins with the sensory store, which includes both iconic (visual) and echoic (auditory) processing. This is how information enters. By attention processing, information is transferred into the short term memory. This is a temporary store of information which can hold around 7 items and lasts for a short period unless it is transferred into the long term memory. Studies show that without deeper processing and if verbal rehearsal is prevented information only stays for around 15 to 30 seconds. If the information is processed more deeply, it is transferred into the long term memory store, which has a hypothetically infinite capacity. It has been postulated that information can remain in the long term memory for an entire life. In conclusion, the model summarises different memory stores and shows how information is transferred between them. It has been critiqued though; for instance, it is said to be too simplistic, since subsequent research has shown that the short term memory and long term memory are not unitary stores.