evaluation of the working model of memory Flashcards
what does it mean when we say the WMM has clinical evidence
support for the WMM comes from Shallice and Warrington’s (1976) case study of patient KF who had suffered brain damage
after this damage, KF had poor STM ability for verbal information but could process visual information normally presented visually e.g. pictures, words on a page
This suggests that just his phonological loop had been damaged leaving other areas of memory intact. This, therefore, supports the existence of a separate visual and acoustic store
HOWEVER, evidence from brain-damaged patients may not be reliable because it concerns unique cases with [patients who have had traumatic experiences
how does dual-task performance support the existence of the WMM
studies of dual-task performance support the separate existence of the visual-spatial sketchpad
Baddeley et al (1975) showed that participant had more difficulty doing two visual tasks e.g. tracking light and describing the letter F than doing both a visual and verbal task at the same time
This increased difficulty is because both visual tasks compete for foe the same slave system whereas, when doing a verbal and visual task simultaneously, there is no competition. Therefore, there must be a separate slave system ( the VSS) that process visual input and verbal input ( PL)
what is a limitation for the WMM
cognitive psychologists suggest that the central executive of the WMM is unsatisfactory and doesn’t really explain anything
Alan Baddeley himself recognised that when he said “ The central executive is the most important but the least understood component of working memory (Baddeley, 2003)”
the central executive needs to be more clearly specified than just being simply “attention”
e.g. some psychologists believe it may consist of separate components.
This means that the WMM hasn’t been fully explained
brain scanning studies support the WMM
Braver et al gave their participants tasks that involved the central executive while they were having a brain scan
The researchers found greater activity in an area known as the left prefrontal cortex
What was especially interesting was that the activity in this area increased as the task became harder
This makes a lot of sense in terms of the WMM: as demands on the CE increase, it has to work harder to fulfil its functions
The study found that the central executive is associated with a specific part of the brain. This finding supports the WMM because it clearly shows that different memory functions are handled by different areas of the brain. This is biologically-based evidence to support the different components of the model. It also supports the model’s prediction that there will be more activity in the central executive as more demands are placed upon it, as reflected in greater brain activity.
