4.1.2 Working memory model

Question 1

Who studied the WMM?

Answer 1

Baddeley + Hitch
(1972)

Question 2

WMM beliefs

Answer 2

Believed memory is just one store but a number of different stores
Focused on STM only and believed it was not a single store (like MSM)
Looks at the ‘mental space’ that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information

Question 3

Baddeley + Hitch

Answer 3

You can’t read a letter and drive a car at the same time, as they both use the visuospatial sketch pad
Reading a letter and listening to music is easier as you’re using visuospatial sketch and phonological loop
Independent group design – a sample was separated to do one of two different tasks
In each condition, they were asked to do 2 tasks. Control group 1 - task 1 – reasoning task (does A follow B? answer: true/false). This uses the central executive. task 2 – saying ‘the, the, the…’ continuously in a loop whilst doing condition 1 too. This uses the articulatory loop, as its auditory
Control group 2 – also did task 1 and then did task 2 at the same time as task 1 – listing digits in a random number. This uses central executive + articulatory loop
In condition 1, it was slower to do ask 1 at the same time as task 2, as both tasks use the central executive

Question 4

Baddeley + Hitch variables

Answer 4

Independent variable – task 1, task 2 (the, the, the…)
Dependent variable – how quickly the task was done

Question 5

Clinical evidence - KF

Answer 5

Shallice and Warrington’s
1970
case study as patient KF (already used as an example as a limit of Multi-store Model)
Brain injury – poor STM for auditory information but could process visual information
Recall of letters/digits was better when he read them rather than when they were read to him
KF’s phonological loop was damaged but his visuo-spatial sketchpad was intact
Supports separate visual and acoustic memory stores

Question 6

Clinical evidence - counterpoint to KF

Answer 6

He could have other cognitive impairments which may affect his performance
His injury was caused by a motorcycle accident
This challenges evidence that comes from clinical studies – brain injuries may affect many different systems

Question 7

Nature of the central executive - limitation

Answer 7

Limitation:
Lack of clarity over the CE
Baddeley (2003) said “The CE is the most important but the least understood component of working memory”
Some psychologist believes the CE may consist of separate subcomponents
This means that the CE is a unsatisfactory component and challenges the integrity of the WMM