M: The working memory model

Question 1

Who developed the WMM?

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch.

Question 2

What is the WMM a model of?

Answer 2

STM- an explanation of how it is organised and how it functions.

Question 3

What are the four main components of the WMM?

Answer 3

The central executive, the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad and the episodic buffer.

Question 4

What is the central executive (CE)?

Answer 4

An attentional process which monitors incoming data and allocates slave systems to tasks.

Question 5

What is the capacity of the central executive (CE)?

Answer 5

Very limited storage capacity.

Question 6

What is the Phonological loop (PL) divided into?

Answer 6

The phonological store and the articulatory process.

Question 7

What is the role of the Phonological loop (PL)?

Answer 7

Deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which the information arrives. Subdivided into phonological store and articulatory process.

Question 8

What is the role of the Phonological store in the Phonological loop?

Answer 8

Stores the words you hear.

Question 9

What is the role of the Articulatory process in the Phonological loop?

Answer 9

Allows maintenance rehearsal (repeating sounds to keep them in WM while they are needed).

Question 10

What is the Visuo-spatial sketchpad subdivided into?

Answer 10

The visual cache and the inner scribe.

Question 11

Who divided the Visuo-spatial sketchpad into its subdivisions?

Answer 11

Logie.

Question 12

What is the role of the Visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 12

To store visual and/or spatial information when required (e.g. recalling how many windows your house has).

Question 13

What us the role of the Visual cache in the Visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 13

To store visual data.

Question 14

What is the role of the Inner scribe in the Visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 14

To record arrangement of objects in visual field.

Question 15

When was the Episodic buffer added?

Answer 15

2000.

Question 16

What is the episodic buffer?

Answer 16

It is a temporary store for information. Integrates visual, spatial and verbal information from other stores. Maintains a sense of time sequencing- recording events (episodes) that are happening. Links to LTM.

Question 17

How is LTM linked to the WMM?

Answer 17

Through the episodic buffer.

Question 18

Limitation of the WMM.

Answer 18

LACK OF CLARITY OVER THE CE: cognitive psychologists suggest that the CE is unsatisfactory and doesn’t really explain anything. The CE should be more clearly specified than being simple ‘attention’. Some psychologists believe it may consist of separate components. This means that the WMM has not been fully explained.

Question 19

Strengths of the WMM.

Answer 19

SUPPORT FROM CASE OF KF: Shallice and Warrington carried out a case study of patient KF who was brain damage. He had poor STM ability for verbal information but could process visual information normally (difficulty with sounds but could recall digits/letters). So his phonological loop had been damaged but other areas of memory were intact. This suggests there are separate visual and acoustic stores. However, evidence from brain-damaged patients may be unreliable because it concerns unique cases of patients who have had traumatic experiences.
SUPPORT FROM BRAIN SCANNING STUDIES: Braver et al.’s participants did tasks involving the CE while they were having a brain scan. Activity seen in an area known as the prefrontal cortex. Activity in this area increased as the task became harder. This makes sense in terms of WMM: as demands on the CE increase, it has to work harder to fulfil its function. So this study provides evidence that the CE may have a physical reality in the brain.

Question 20

Who performed the case study into patient KF?

Answer 20

Shallice and Warrington.

Question 21

Who performed brain scan studies?

Answer 21

Braver et al.

Question 22

Where did Braver et al. find brain activity when he had participants perform tasks involving the CE?

Answer 22

In the prefrontal cortex.