Memory - working memory model (WMM) Flashcards
What is working memory?
A limited capacity store for consciously processing information for a temporary amount of time (has mostly replaced use of the term STM from the MSM)
‘Working’ suggests memory is active rather than passive like MSM suggests
Who created the WMM and why?
Baddely and Hitch (1974) suggested that STM wasn’t a unitary store and instead was an active processor, contradictory to MSM
What does the WMM look like?
Central Executive - on top
- Phonological Loop
a) articulatory control system
b) phonological store - Episodic Buffer
- Visuospatial Sketchpad
a) visual cache
b) inner scribe
What is the role of the central executive (CE)?
Supervisory role that doesn’t store info
What are the functions of the CE?
- Directs attention to tasks and makes decisions
- Allocates tasks to the slave systems
- Data arrives from senses or from LTM
What capacity does the CE have?
Very limited processing capacity
What is the role of the phonological loop (PL)?
Processes auditory info and codes it acoustically
What capacity does the PL have?
Limited - can hold approx. 2 seconds worth of info
What did Baddeley (1986) further subdivide the PL into?
- Phonological store - holds words heard
- Articulatory control system - inner voice (maintenance rehearsal)
What is the word length effect?
A list of long words is harder to remember than a list of short words. This is because longer words take longer to rehearse in our phonological loop than short ones (approx. 2 seconds worth of info) so get fewer rehearsals and are remembered less accurately
What is the role of the visuospatial sketchpad (VSS)?
Processes visual and spatial info
Visual - what things look like
Spatial - refers to the relationship between things
What did Logie (1995) suggest subdivisions of for the VSS?
- Visual cache - stores info about visual items, e.g form and colour
- Inner scribe - stores arrangement of objects for spatial relations
What capacity does the VSS have?
Limited capacity, 3-4 items
What is the dual task technique?
Performance is measured as ppts. perform 2 tasks simultaneously
Baddeley et al (1975) found when one store is utilised for both tasks performance is poorer (due to store’s limited capacity). If both tasks split between 2 stores, performance improves
What is the role of the episodic buffer (EB)?
Temporary store which integrates info from the other slave systems. Baddeley (2000) later added it as he realised model needed a more general store as slave systems process specific info and CE has no storage capacity
What is the capacity of the EB?
Limited capacity, holds approx. 4 items
Maintains a sense of time sequencing so records events that are happening
Also sends info to the LTM store
What is a strength of the WMM? - Support from clinical evidence through case studies
===> KF experienced brain damage after motorcycle accident and struggled with STM. Unable to recall verbal info as phonological loop was damaged but could process visual stimuli as visuospatial sketchpad intact. Supports idea that there are distinct stores within STM. However, evidence from case studies like KF may be unique to one person only and unknown how these patients would have performed on same tasks prior to accident. Caution when generalising
What is a strength of the WMM? - Empirical evidence from dual task performance studies
===> Baddeley and Hitch (1976) showed ppts. had more difficulty when performing two tasks relying on PL. When one required PL (remembering numbers) and other needed VSS (copying a drawing) no impairment. 2 similar tasks overloaded PL as limited capacity but using 2 slave systems didn’t. Increase validity of existence. However, evidence from lab studies lack mundane realism so results aren’t generalisable
What is a limitation of the WMM? - CE is too vague and doesn’t offer substantial explanation
===> Baddeley acknowledged it’s the least understood component of WMM and some psychologists suggested the CE could be made of separate stores as lack of clarity raises questions about validity of this part of model. However, brain scan evidence from Braver (1997) supporting CE existence. Task involving CE, activity observed in prefrontal cortex, increased activation corresponding to higher task difficulty but further research needed to deepen understanding
What is a limitation of the WMM? - Failure to account for musical memory
===> Model provides framework for various WMM components but doesn’t explain how individuals can engage with and process musical information without experiencing impairment in performance on other acoustic tasks. Doesn’t provide a comprehensive framework to understand unique processing and storage mechanisms in musical memory so fails to explain nuances in all types of memory
