memory 3 Flashcards
Outline the key features of the working memory model (Baddeley and Hitch 1674).
It is an explanation of how STM is organised and how it functions. It is concerned with the part of the mind that is active when you are thinking.
Central executive, episodic buffer, visuospatial sketch pad, phonological loop (articulacy control system and phonological store).
Outline the key features of the central executive (CE).
Monitors incoming data. Allocates slave systems to tasks. Has a very limited storage capacity. Coding is flexible.
Outline the key features of the phonological loop (PL)
Deals with auditory information. Preserves the order in which the information arrives. The phonological store stores the words you hear. The articulatory process allows maintenance rehearsal. Capacity is about 2 seconds worth of what you can say. Coding is acoustic.
Outline the key features of the visuospatial sketchpad (VSS).
Stores visual and/or spatial information. Logie (1995) subdivided the VSS into: Visual cache - stores visual data. Inner scribe - records arrangement of objects in the visual field. Capacity is 3 or 4 objects. Coding is visual and spatial
Outline the key features of the episodic buffer.
Added to the WMM theory in 2000. A temporary store of information. Integrates visual, spatial and verbal information from other stores. Maintains a sense of time sequencing. Links to the LTM.
Evaluate the WMM.
The case of KF supports separate STM stores. Shallice and Warrington (1970) carried out a case study on KF who had brain damage. He had poor STM ability for verbal information but could process visual information normally. This suggests his phonological loop had been damaged but other areas of STM were intact. This suggests there are separate visual and acoustic stores. This evidence may be unreliable though as the evidence is from a brain damaged patient and may be unique.
Another strength is that dual task performance studies support the VSS. Baddeley et al. (1975) found patients had more difficulty doing two visual tasks than doing a visual and verbal task at the same time. The greater difficulty is because both visual tasks compete for the same limited resources. When doing a verbal and visual task there is no competition. Therefore dual task performance activity provides evidence for the existence of the visuo-spatial sketchpad. This is something that the MSM cannot explain.
A limitation over the WMM is the lack of clarity over the central executive. Cognitive psychologists suggest that the CE is unsatisfactory and doesn’t really explain anything. The CE should be more clearly specified than just being simply ‘attention’. Some psychologists believe it may consist of separate components. This means that the WMM hasn’t been fully explained.
A strength is that the word length effect supports the phonological loop. Baddeley et al. (1975) found people have more difficulty remembering a list of long words (long word length) than a list of short words (short word length). This is the word length effect. This is because there is limited space for rehearsal in the articulatory process. Word length effect disappears if a person is given a repetitive task that ties up the articulatory process - this demonstrates the process at work. This provides strong evidence to support the phonological loop.
Further support for the model comes from brain scanning studies. Braver et al. (1997) did brain scans of participants while they completed tasks involving the CE. Activity was seen in the prefrontal cortex. Activity in this area increased as the task became harder. This fits with the WMM: as demands on the CE increase, it has to work harder to fulfill its function. This provides evidence that the CE may have a physical reality in the brain.
