memory 1.3 Flashcards
The working memory model: central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and episodic buffer. Features of the model: coding and capacity.
what is the working memory model?
explanation of how short term memory is organised in its functions
it states you can complete tasks of different modalities at the same time e.g. walking and talking
what happens when doing tasks of the same modality?
your workings of both is impaired because there are limited resources for one component of the model
what are the four components of the working memory model?
central executive
phonological loop
episodic buffer
visuospatial sketchpad
what is the central executive?
it has been described as an ‘attentional process’ with a very limited processing capacity, and whose role is to allocate tasks to the 3 slave systems
who researched into the central executive?
Baddeley (1966)
what was Baddeley (1966)’s aim?
to investigate the existence of the central executive
what was Baddeley (1966)’s procedure?
he asked participants to think of random digits that bore no connection to each other (by tapping numbers on a keyboard)
it was either carried out on its own or with one of the following tasks:
- reciting the alphabet
- counting from 1
- alternating between letters and numbers e.g. A1 B2 C3
what were Baddeley (1966)’s results?
the generated number stream was much less random in condition 3
Baddeley supports the idea of the central executive as it shows that there are limited resources due to participant’s poor performance in the more depending tasks
what was Baddeley (1966)’s conclusion?
Baddeley said they were competing for the same central executive resources
what is the phonological loop?
the slave store that deals with auditory information and the order of information
two components of phonological loop
the phonological store (inner ear) which holds information in speech based form for 1-2 seconds
articulatory control process which is used to rehearse verbal information from the phonological store in loop
the capacity of this store is approximately 2 seconds worth of what you can say
phonological store
(inner ear) which holds information in speech based form for 1-2 seconds
articulatory control process
used to rehearse verbal information from the phonological store in loop
the capacity of this store is approximately 2 seconds worth of what you can say
who researched into the phonological loop?
Baddeley, Thompson and Buchanan (1975)
what was Baddeley, Thompson and Buchanan (1975)’s aim?
to investigate function of phonological loop
what was Baddeley, Thompson and Buchanan (1975)’s procedure?
presented participants with five words for very brief periods of time and were asked to recall them
participants were placed in either one of two conditions:
condition 1 - monosyllabic words e.g. harm, bus, tin
condition 2 - polysyllabic words e.g. undeniable
what were Baddeley, Thompson and Buchanan (1975)’s results?
average correct recall over seven trials showed participants remember short words much better
what was Baddeley, Thompson and Buchanan (1975)’s conclusion?
evidence of word length effect supports phonological loop
what is the visuospatial sketchpad?
second slave store holds visual and spatial (relationship between things) information for a very short time
you use it when you are planning a spatial task i.e. going from your home to college
limited capacity of approximately 3 or 4 objects
two components of visuospatial sketchpad
visual cache - stores visual data
inner scribe - records the arrangement of objects in the visual field
visual cache
stores visual data
inner scribe
records the arrangement of objects in the visual field
who researched into the visuospatial sketchpad?
Shepard and Feng (1972)
what was Shepard and Feng (1972)’s aim?
investigate functions of the visuospatial sketchpad