AQA A-Level Psychology: The Multi-Store and Working Memory Models (7182)

This guide covers the two structural models of memory within 3.1.2 Memory, from AQA AS and A-level Psychology (7181/7182), Version 1.4, 1 September 2025: the multi-store model, and the working memory model.

Scope of this guide

3.1.2 Memory also covers explanations for forgetting and eyewitness testimony accuracy. This resource focuses on the two structural models — multi-store and working memory — which underpin the rest of the topic; forgetting and eyewitness testimony are left for a separate resource.

Syllabus coverage

AQA AS AND A-LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY (7181/7182) — 3.1.2 MEMORY (STRUCTURAL MODELS)

The multi-store model of memory: sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory. Features of each store: coding, capacity and duration. Types of long-term memory: episodic, semantic, procedural. The working memory model: central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and episodic buffer. Features of the model: coding and capacity.

How to approach it

The multi-store model and the working memory model answer different questions, and keeping that distinction explicit is the key to using both models correctly in an exam. The multi-store model (Atkinson and Shiffrin) describes memory as a sequence of separate stores that information passes through — sensory register, then short-term memory, then long-term memory — each with its own coding, capacity and duration. The working memory model (Baddeley and Hitch) is instead a more detailed account of what is happening within short-term memory specifically, breaking it down into active, interacting components rather than treating it as a single unified store. A common weak answer treats the two models as competing alternatives for the same thing; the stronger answer recognises the working memory model as a refinement of the STM component the multi-store model treats too simply.

For the multi-store model, learn the three stores’ features as a comparison table: sensory register (coding: modality-specific, e.g. iconic/echoic; capacity: very large; duration: less than half a second); short-term memory (coding: mainly acoustic; capacity: 7±2 items, per Miller; duration: 18-30 seconds without rehearsal); long-term memory (coding: mainly semantic; capacity: potentially unlimited; duration: up to a lifetime). For the working memory model, learn each component’s specific role: the central executive directs attention and coordinates the other components (limited capacity, no storage of its own); the phonological loop handles auditory/verbal information (split into the phonological store and the articulatory process); the visuo-spatial sketchpad handles visual and spatial information; the episodic buffer integrates information from the other components and links to long-term memory.

Worked example: applying the working memory model to a scenario

A question describes someone struggling to remember a phone number while simultaneously reading a map, and asks candidates to explain this using the working memory model.

Task 1:        holding the phone number in mind -- uses the
               phonological loop (verbal/acoustic information)
Task 2:        reading and interpreting the map -- uses the
               visuo-spatial sketchpad (visual/spatial information)
Explanation:   because these two tasks use different, separate
               components of working memory (phonological loop vs
               visuo-spatial sketchpad), they can be performed
               simultaneously with relatively little interference,
               supporting the working memory model's claim that STM
               is not a single unified store
Central        the central executive coordinates attention between
executive:     the two tasks and directs resources as needed, but has
               no storage capacity of its own

This pattern — identifying which specific component handles which type of information, then explaining the resulting behaviour — is the core applied skill this content is assessed against.

Key terms to define precisely

Coding — the format in which information is stored in a memory system (for example, acoustic, visual or semantic). Capacity — the amount of information a memory store can hold. Duration — how long information remains available in a memory store before it is lost or transferred. Central executive — the working memory component that directs attention and coordinates the phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and episodic buffer, but has no storage capacity of its own. Episodic buffer — the working memory component that integrates information from the other components into a single, temporary representation and provides a link to long-term memory. Episodic, semantic and procedural memory — the three types of long-term memory the specification names: episodic memory stores personal experiences and events; semantic memory stores facts and general knowledge; procedural memory stores skills and learned actions. Being able to give a real example of each of the three long-term memory types — not just name them — is a small but consistently rewarded piece of precision in this content.

Common mistakes

Treating the multi-store model and the working memory model as interchangeable or competing explanations of the same thing, rather than recognising the working memory model as a more detailed account of the STM component specifically. Confusing the coding type associated with each store (acoustic for STM, semantic for LTM) or misremembering STM’s capacity and duration figures. Naming a working memory component without describing its specific function. Omitting the episodic buffer, which is easy to forget since it was added to the model later than the other three components.

Quick revision checklist

• Build a comparison table of sensory register, STM and LTM covering coding, capacity and duration.
• Learn the four working memory components and each one’s specific role.
• Be able to explain why two simultaneous tasks may or may not interfere with each other, using the working memory model’s separate components.
• Practise clearly distinguishing what each model is actually describing (a sequence of stores, versus internal STM structure).

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level Psychology (7181/7182) specification, Version 1.4 — aqa.org.uk/7182.