Cognitive⚙️ • Working Memory Model Flashcards
Who developed the working memory model?
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
What specific part of memory does this model specifically develop?
Short-term Memory (STM)
Within the working memory (STM), instead of all information going ____ ____ ________ store, there are different ____________ for different types of ________________.
Within the working memory (STM), instead of all information going to one single store, there are different systems for different types of information.
What is the Central Executive?
(The ‘boss’ of working memory)
* Drives the whole system and allocates data to the subsystems
* Additionally it deals with cognitive tasks such as problem solving
What are the two subsystems included within Working Memory?
- Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
- Phonological Loop
What is the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad?
(Inner Eye)
* Stores and processes visual or spatial information
* It is essentially a visual cache; e.g. stores visual data such as images of certain things
What is the Phonological Loop?
- Deals with spoken and written material
- Consists of two components
What are the two sub-components within the Phonological Loop?
- Phonological Store
- Articulatory Control Process
What is the Phonological Store?
(Inner Ear)
* Linked to speech perception, this store holds information in speech-based form fo 1-2 seconds
* Spoken words enter store directly, written words must first be converted to articulatory (spoken) code before they can enter the store (This is done via the articulatory control process)
What is the Articulatory Control Process?
(Inner Voice)
* Linked to speech production, this is used to rehearse and store verbal information from the phonological store
* Articulate = put into words
* This allows for maintenance rehersal –> it circulates information round and round like a tape loop e.g. this is how we remember a phone number we have just heard, as long as we repeat it we can retain the information
* Articulatory control process also converts written material into an articulatory code (spoken) so it can transfer it to the phonological store
What does hollistic mean?
When something is relating to wholes or complete systems rather than individual parts or specific areas
Working memory is a ____________ explanation of ________-term memory, whereas the _________-_________ Model is ____________________ as it over-simplifies the STM
(Strength for WMM)
Working memory is a hollistic explanation of short-term memory, whereas the Multi-Store Model is reductionist as it over-simplifies the STM
What addition was made to the Working memory model in the year 2000 and by who?
The Episodic Buffer, by Baddeley
What is the Episodic Buffer?
A temporary link between the LTM and STM that communicates between LTM and the components of working memory (STM)
It is a temporary link that allows for information from the LTM to be brought back to the STM, held within the episodic buffer, to be used for a short period of time
e.g. When a student is asked to do a multiplicaiton, the episodic buffer holds the information from LTM (multiplication rules) and your STM uses that information to work it out, for example the visuo-spatial sketchpad could ‘draw out’ the sum and the articulatory control may be used to internally ‘talk’ through the problem
Why was the Episodic Buffer introduced?
A criticism of the model was proposed due to there not being an explanation for retriveing information from LTM to STM. It was questioned how information was being brought back from the LTM to be used in within the LTM by the central executive’s subsystems
When can you NOT reference the Episodic Buffer when talking about the Working Memory Model?
- When the question states 1974, you cannot talk about the Episodic buffer as it was added as an improvement in 2000
- You can refer to it in evaluate questions
Give a study to support a criticism on the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
- Leiberman (1980)
- A criticism for WMM is that visuo-spatial sketchpad implies all spatial information is visual
- Leiberman points out that blind people have excellent spatial awareness dispite innately blind individuals never recieving any visual information.
- Leiberman argues that it should be separated into two different components: one for VISUAL information and one for SPATIAL information
How does the KF case study suport the Working Memory Model?
- Shallice & Warrington (1970)
- KF case study conducted on individual who experienced amneisa after a brain injury.
- He had poor STM for auditory information but could still process visual information normally.
- According to the model therfore, KF’s phonological loop had been damaged, but his visuo-spatial sketchpad was still intact
This acts as evidence for the separate systems within the STM proposed by the WMM
What does the KF case study in relation to the WMM also act as a strength for?
Application to understanding amnesia
The sudy’s findings when analysed in tandem with the WMM provide groundbreaking insight into the nature of the disorder, leading to increased understanding.
It infers that amnesia is nto neccessarily a ‘global’ disorder that impacts all areas of memory function
What criticism has the central executive recived?
It has been proposed that the central executive is an unsatisfory component and doesnt really explain anything about STM
* **Baddeley (2003) **recognised this and claimed that the central executive requires a **deeper specification **besides the simple label of being the ‘manager’ of STM and ones ‘attention’
Researchers such as Baddeley theorise that it also contains multiple components
ULTIMATELY INFERS THAT WMM IS INCOMPLETE AND HAS NOT BEEN FULLY EXPLAINED, THEREFORE NOT A COMPLETE EXPLANATION OF STM
