The Validity of the Modal Model of Memory

The Validity of the Modal Model of Memory

Memory can be thought of as the ability to process and retrieve

information. In one hundred years of scientific research on this

subject, there is still no dominant theory which explains human

memory. One of the most prominent models in this area over the past

thirty years has been the modal model of memory, which was originally

devised by Atkinson & Shiffrin in 1968. This model theorises a

distinction between sensory, primary and secondary stores. Although

this model continues to be highly influential, it has given rise to

much discussion pertaining to its general validity and the need for

the distinct memory stores. This essay will examine both supporting

and opposing research and theories in order to establish how valid the

modal model is and what its limitations are.

Historically, the first distinction to be made between primary and

secondary stores was made by William James in 1890. Primary memory was

outlined by James as being "that which is held momentarily in

consciousness." Secondary memory he described as being "unconscious

but permanent" (cited by Healy & McNamara, 1996).

A more contemporary description of the modal model was postulated by

Glanzer & Cunitz, (1966, cited in Gross, 1992). Results of their

extensive laboratory research into the existence of the dichotomy of

memory stores has generally been presented using the serial position

curve. When participants are given a list of items to commit to

memory, their recall is usually better for items which appeared early

in the list (the primacy effect) and late in the list (the recency

effect), than it is for items in the mi...

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