Glossary:DSR model

DSR model of memory (3 component model of memory)

extension of the two component model of memory at the neural network level. The two component model of long-term memory says that a status of memory in a synapse can be described with variables: stability and retrievability. The DSR model used in Algorithm SM-17 employed in SuperMemo 17, adds the third variable called memory difficulty, which is an expression of the complexity of the synaptic pattern involved in storing a given memory. The more complex the net of connections involved in a memory, the harder is to maintain the memory in the long term. In SuperMemo, memory difficulty is expressed by item difficulty, i.e. a number than says how difficult it is to remember an item. There are more variables involved in storing memories that are not part of the DSR model. For example, both homeostatic and circadian components of sleep propensity have an impact on encoding and retrieving memories at the network level. See also: Modeling memory