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MENTAL MODEL · M12679

Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model

Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportCognitive Psychology
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Updated 2026-09-11

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin proposed the multi-store model. Sensory memory is a momentary store lasting several seconds; short-term memory holds roughly seven plus or minus two items for about twenty seconds without rehearsal; long-term memory is effectively unlimited in capacity and can store permanently. The core claim is that information moves between stores through attention and rehearsal, so what is remembered depends on the processing applied rather than on exposure alone. The qualification is that later research showed short-term storage to be more dynamic than a single box, so the model is a useful map rather than a literal architecture.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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- Transfer design: check that new material gets attention and rehearsal rather than mere exposure. - Load management: keep the number of items in play within working memory limits. - Spacing choice: schedule rehearsal over time, since a single pass does not reach long-term storage.

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Sensory traces decay in under a second unless attention selects them, and unattended material is lost before it can be processed further. Attended items enter a limited store where they decay within seconds unless rehearsed, and rehearsal is what consolidates them into durable memory. Because the intermediate store is small, the amount that can be transferred in one pass is bounded, which is why spacing and repetition are necessary.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinson%E2%80%93Shiffrin_memory_modelZH · Explicit
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