Skill Acquisition: Memory Models

Multi-store Memory Model

Developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin, this model suggests memory consists of 3 separate stores: sensory, short-term and long-term.
Sensory memory is brief, lasting less than a second, and enables the individual to process initial information from the environment.
Short-term memory, also known as working memory, lasts for about 20-30 seconds and can hold 5-9 chunks of information.
Long-term memory is theoretically infinite in capacity and duration, storing information for extended periods of time.
Information can only move from sensory to short-term and then to long-term memory when attention and rehearsal are applied.

Working Memory Model

Proposed by Baddeley and Hitch, this model emphasizes the complexity of short-term memory.
It is divided into three parts: the central executive, the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad.
The central executive acts as the supervisory system and controls the flow of information, maintaining it through rehearsal.
The phonological loop is involved in processing verbal and auditory information.
The visuo-spatial sketchpad processes and maintains visual and spatial information.
The working memory model is integral in understanding how we perform complex skills like problem-solving or decision-making in sports performance.

Levels of Processing Model

Developed by Craik and Lockhart, this model views memory as a more fluid and interactive process than what the multi-store memory model suggests.
It proposes three levels of processing: shallow, intermediate, and deep.
Shallow processing involves minimal interaction with the information, like just acknowledging the presence of stimuli.
Intermediate processing may involve decoding the meaning of a stimulus and attaching some simple label to it for future recognition.
Deep processing involves semantic processing and results in better recall.
The deeper the level of processing the higher the probability of recall. For instance, in football, a player will remember to pass the ball to a teammate who is known to score goals (deep processing) rather than a player based on the colour of their boots (shallow processing).

Memory retrieval

The actual performance of a skill in a game situation is viewed as the retrieval of information stored in the memory.
The efficiency of memory retrieval is altered by various factors such as pressure, arousal and focus of attention.
Sport psychologists use different strategies like imagery and mental rehearsal to enhance memory retrieval, improving sports performance.