Models of memory: WMM Flashcards
Who came up with the Working Memory Model?
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
How does the WMM differ from the MSM?
This model is a more complex model of the STM. the model suggests tat it can complete two different tasks at the same time.
Central executive
CE: supervisory component. directs attention to incoming information. It can code any modality and it has very limited storage but can delegate information to its slave systems.
Phonological loop
PL: codes and acts as temp storage (or rehearsal loop) for holding auditory information. It also preserves the order of incoming information.
Phonological store
Is a subdivision of the PL. This is also known as the inner ear. This rehearses the sounds you hear.
Articulatory process
Is a subdivision of the PL. AKA the inner voice. This is for speech production which hold and silently repeats the words you are prepping to speak.
Visuo-Spacial Sketchpad
VSS: Inner eye codes visual information (how objects look) and spacial information (physical relationships between objects. This also has limited capacity.
Episodic buffer
EB: (added in 2000) storage component of the CE that integrates info from the slave systems. limited capacity but it is able to code information from any modality while maintaining time sequencing. The EB also links memory together to they are like ‘episodes’ so they are a single memory.
What are the strengths of the WWM?
Supports the view of a non-unitary STM.
2 tasks can be performed at once (dual task research)
Real life applications ie education
What are the weaknesses of the WWM?
Very little known about the CE
Fails to account for musical memory.
Strength of WMM: The STM isn’t unitary
This means research has shown there are separate stores within STM.
Evidence: KF STM damaged for verbal information (digit span of 2) but his visual STM remained intact.
Positive because it supports the view that the STM does have separate stores otherwise damage to KFs memory would have damaged it all equally.
Strength of the WWM: dual task research.
This means the WMM, unlike the MSM, can explain why participants struggle to process two similar tasks at once but can process two different tasks at once in STM because they use different slave systems.
Evidence for this comes from Baddeley et al 1975 who found a that participants had more difficulty doing two visual tasks (tracking a light and describing the letter f) Han doing one verbal and one visual task at the same time.
This is positive as it suggests there must be separate slave systems for visual and verbal tasks.
Strength of the WMM: Brain scanning
PET scans have shown that different areas of the brain are used whilst undertaking visual and verbal task.
This is positive as it supports the view that visual and verbal material is dealt with by separate structures that may be psychically separate.
Strength of WMM: real life applications
This means that being able to identify different aspects of the stm allows psychologists to target certain kinds of memory.
For example educational psychologists have developed memory training to specifically improve verbal memory to help into ice learning for students who experience difficulties.
This is a strength as it shows how a better understanding of types of STM can improve people’s lives.
Weakness of the WMM: very little is known about the CE
This means that, despite a great deal of evidence to support the existence of separate visual and verbal STM stores, there is little evidence to understand the main WMM component.
For example, we are unsure of its capacity and some argue that it is used as an umbrella store to cover all of the functions that cannot be explained by the slave systems. This is a a problem as it seems the WMM cannot fully explain all aspects of STM.
