2.4 Memory | The Working Memory Model Flashcards
Who were they key psychologists for the working memory model?
Baddeley and Hitch
What is the WMM concerned with?
The mental space that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information
Provide an example.
Playing chess
Comprehending language
Doing a maths problem
What is the central executive?
The component of the WMM that coordinates the activities of the three subsystems in memory. It allocates processing resources to these activities.
What does the central executive do?
Monitors incoming data, focuses and divides our limited attention and allocates slave systems to tasks
What is the capacity of the central executive?
Very limited and does not store information
What is the phonological loop?
The component of the WMM that processes information in terms of sound. This includes both written and spoken material. It is divided into the phonological store and the articulatory process.
What is the nature of the phonological loop?
Temporary storage system
How does the phonological loop process information?
It preserves the order in which the info arrives
What does the phonological store store?
The words you hear
What does the articulatory process do?
Allows maintenance rehearsal to keep the words in your working memory while they are needed
What is the capacity of the phonological loop?
2 seconds’ worth of what you can say
What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad?
The component of the WMM that processes visual and spatial information in a mental space often called our ‘inner eye’
What does the inner scribe do?
Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field
What does the visual cache do?
Stores visual data
