What are the five elements of the Atkinson & Shiffrins processing model of memory?

This is a preview. Log in to get access

Publisher Information

One of the largest publishers in the United States, the Johns Hopkins University Press combines traditional books and journals publishing units with cutting-edge service divisions that sustain diversity and independence among nonprofit, scholarly publishers, societies, and associations. Journals The Press is home to the largest journal publication program of any U.S.-based university press. The Journals Division publishes 85 journals in the arts and humanities, technology and medicine, higher education, history, political science, and library science. The division also manages membership services for more than 50 scholarly and professional associations and societies. Books With critically acclaimed titles in history, science, higher education, consumer health, humanities, classics, and public health, the Books Division publishes 150 new books each year and maintains a backlist in excess of 3,000 titles. With warehouses on three continents, worldwide sales representation, and a robust digital publishing program, the Books Division connects Hopkins authors to scholars, experts, and educational and research institutions around the world. Project MUSE® Project MUSE is a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content, providing access to journal and book content from nearly 300 publishers. MUSE delivers outstanding results to the scholarly community by maximizing revenues for publishers, providing value to libraries, and enabling access for scholars worldwide. Hopkins Fulfillment Services (HFS) HFS provides print and digital distribution for a distinguished list of university presses and nonprofit institutions. HFS clients enjoy state-of-the-art warehousing, real-time access to critical business data, accounts receivable management and collection, and unparalleled customer service.

Rights & Usage

This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
Educational Theatre Journal © 1961 The Johns Hopkins University Press
Request Permissions

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), five elements, or five phases, theory outlines the relationship between the different elements in nature and the life force, or "qi," that flows through them. The basic elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each individual is a blend of these elements, and in order to be truly healthy, they need to be balanced. Dr. Bret Mosher can explain how he utilizes the theory of the five elements of Chinese Medicine in order to treat patients at his Poway, CA-based practice.

Understanding how the five elements affects one's health can help the doctor develop a comprehensive and effective treatment plan to eliminate chronic conditions.

Relationship to Health

In this conceptual system, the five elements are constantly moving and changing, each becoming dominant at different times in the natural cycle, and affecting an individual's health. The five elements are used to interpret and explain physiology and pathology. Each element is associated with different body organs, colors, flavors, senses, emotions, and weather.

Each element both promotes and controls another:

  • Wood promotes fire
  • Fire promotes earth
  • Earth promotes metal
  • Metal promotes water
  • Water promotes wood
  • Wood controls earth
  • Earth controls water
  • Water controls fire
  • Fire controls metal
  • Metal controls wood

Use in Diagnosis

Health conditions arise when the five elements become imbalanced: one element will become too strong or active. As a master of TCM, Dr. Mosher is able to determine the disharmony between the elements of the patient. The assessment and diagnosis process is very thorough: in addition to testing your blood sugar and cholesterol, Dr. Mosher will note factors such as the color of your skin and the sound of your voice. He will also ask questions to determine your sensory experiences, as well as discover what areas of your body or mind are troubling you.

Each individual is a blend of the elements, and in order to be truly healthy, these elements need to be balanced.

All of the information that the doctor gathers will be viewed comprehensively using the five elements model. For example, if a patient has a yellow cast to her complexion and is experiencing bloating, lethargy, and muddled thinking, the doctor will examine the Earth element more closely (the spleen and stomach).

The treatment plan is aimed at restoring the balance of the patient’s qi. Acupuncture adjusts the flow of qi through the body’s meridians to restore healthy function. Acupuncture is just one of the treatment modalities that Dr. Mosher may employ in your customized treatment plan. Clinical nutrition, structural alignment, detoxification, and Chinese herbs are other treatments that can help you attain optimal whole-body health.

Schedule a Consultation

The five elements theory is a sophisticated system developed over millennia in China. Modern TCM practitioners use this wisdom to treat patients safely, without invasive surgery or the harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals.

If you would like to learn more about how an understanding of the elements can drastically improve your health, please schedule your consultation by contacting us online, or calling us at (858) 679-2995 to make an appointment with Dr. Mosher today.

What are the five elements of the Atkinson & Shiffrin's processing model of memory?

The stages are the sensory register, the short-term memory, and the long-term memory, while the processes are encoding, storage, and retrieval. A schematic illustrating the Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory and its processes.

What are the major steps of the Atkinson & Shiffrin model?

In order for a memory to go into storage (i.e., long-term memory), it has to pass through three distinct stages: Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory, and finally Long-Term Memory. These stages were first proposed by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin (1968).

What does the Atkinson

The multi-store model of memory (also known as the modal model) was proposed by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin (1968) and is a structural model. They proposed that memory consisted of three stores: a sensory register, short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM).

What are the three components of the original modal model of memory ie the Atkinson

The Atkinson-Shiffrin modal model forms the foundation of our understanding of human memory. It consists of three stores (Sensory Memory (SM), also called iconic memory, Short-Term Memory (STM), and Long-Term Memory (LTM)), each tuned to a different time-scale.