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 Superconcepts: systems in psychology 

Possible research question: To what extent has a systems thinking approach been taken in the development of models of memory in psychology?

A systems thinking approach aims to analyse the interaction of interdependent components in a system holistically - viewing the system as a complex, working whole rather than in individual parts with individual functions. The human brain is an immensely complex structure which we might never truly understand, however through a system thinking approach we can begin to. Systems thinking has greatly influenced the way in which we view human processes of memory. The approach has been used by renown psychologists in cognitive research into memory since the 19th century, playing a crucial part in the development of models of memory to a great extent.

Memory was first divided into the two main systems we recognise today by James (1890), who categorised them into primary (short-term) and secondary (long-term) storage, making a distinction between information we are able to store for brief and prolonged periods of time. The use of systems thinking here to differentiate between different types of memory has proven key to our understanding of the processes of memory, however, the way psychologists view this system has changed much since then.

Where James’s theory spoke little of the relationship between the short-term and long-term stores, Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) developed the Multi-Store Model of memory to demonstrate the possible links between the stores of memory. They proposed a linear system where information from the environment is taken in by the senses and, only once given attention, processed into the short-term memory (STM). Once encoded into the STM, maintenance rehearsal has to occur in order for it to be remembered and then pass into the long-term memory (LTM). Also, they suggested that in order for information to be recalled it must first be retrieved from the LTM to the STM, where it can be successfully accessed. The Multi-Store Model demonstrates a more complex systems thinking approach, looking at the individual functions of the stores as well as how they interact in order to perform their joint functions. However, this theory is not completely holistic as it implies that the process of memory is passive - not considering the influence of our motivation or strategy to remember information. Therefore, systems thinking in this model of memory is not used to a great extent as it doesn’t fully explore the relationships between the short-term and long-term memory stores.

Due to the limitations of Atkinson and Shiffrin’s oversimplified model, a second model, the Working Memory Model, was proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) focussing on the STM as a system made up of further individual components with specific functions. This introduced the concept of the ‘central executive’ within the STM which determined which information from the senses received attention and passed it onto the correct processing unit. These processing units are the phonological store for auditory information, visuo-spatial sketchpad for visual and spatial information and the episodic buffer for events - all of which can transfer information to the LTM. By dividing the STM further and exploring it as a system in its own right, Baddeley and Hitch developed a more complex but accurate representation of memory processes, highlighting the importance of a systems thinking approach in the development of cognitive psychology. In the Working Memory Model, systems thinking it used to a much greater extent than in the Multi-Store Model, making suggestions about how different types of information are processed by different parts of the system as they are stored in different ways.

Tulving furthered the system thinking approach by introducing division between types of long term memory (LTM). He divided long term memory into procedural, semantic and episodic. Creating a division between memory of motor skills (procedural) and how we store information about events (episodic) and facts about the world (semantic). This division illustrates how different parts in the system concentrate on specific areas of memory. By creating further divisions within the study of memory Tulving contributed to developing the Multi Store Model of long term memory and our systematic approach to understanding our brain.

A systems thinking approach to models of memory in psychology has overall been used to a great extent in their development. The ability to narrow down specific elements of a system and understand how they interact allows us to further comprehend the complex system that is our brain. The complexity of brain function can only be understood by creating simple models of processes. The development of models in psychology have arisen out of the need to systematically understand the complexity how our brain functions. However, many of the models and theories relating to the processes of memory fail to reflect its complexity and the way in which external factors interact with the system. This, however, may be due to the nature of cognitive psychology as we know little about the processes of the human brain and lack the research methods to observe the working of these systems accurately.

References:

Atkinson and Shiffrin, (1968) Human Memory: A proposed system and its control processes, Psychology of Learning and Motivation, Vol.3, pp.89-195. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079742108604223

Baddeley and Hitch, (1974) Working Memory, Psychology of Learning and Morivation, Vol.8, pp.47-89. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079742108604521