Multi Store / Working Memory Model Flashcards
Sensory register
Takes in information from the senses, filters out information that isn’t needed.
Very large capacity
250ms duration
STM
Temporary store of information
5/9 or 7 +/- 2 items capacity
18-30s duration
decay after 30s
Needs rehearsal to move to LTM
LTM
Long term store of information
Unlimited capacity
Unlimited duration
retreival failure / interferences
Case study of KF study
Shallice and Warrington 1970
Case study of KF
Memory inpaired because of motobike accident.
STM reduced capscity 1-2 items.
LTM still functional.
Supports idea of multiple stores of memory in seperate areas of the brain.
STM reduced only for verbal items suggesting MSM is oversimplified.
Case study of Clive Wearing Study
Blakemore 1988
Case study of Clive Wearing
Lost most LTM due to herpes virus, destroyed parts of temporal lobe including hippocomapi.
STM still functional
Supports idea of MSM, different memories stored in different parts of the brain.
However challenges MSM as only difficulties with episodic memories as semantic and procedural worked fine. MSM could be oversimplifying.
Evidence supporting / challengine MSM
Baddeley
Peterson and Peterson
Jacobs
Bahrick
MSM issue + debate
Machine reductionism
Tries to oversimplifiy a complex process by comparing humans to machines.
WMM 2 parts
Phonological Loop
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
Can only pay attention to one thing from each part.
Articulatory process
Inner voice
inner repetition to prevent decay
Phonological store
Inner ear
Represents information in terms of pitch and loudness
Visual cache
Inner eye
Information about colour and form
Visual scribe
Inner eye
Information about spatial relationships
Boss
Central executive
Episodic buffer
Combines information and sends it to LTM, uses chunking or episodes.
Phonological loop
Temporary storage for visual and acoustic information.
Allows you to repeat information to yourself.
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
Rehearses visual and spatial information. e.g. stops you walking into things your not looking at
Evidence supporting / challenging the WMM
Support - Hitch and Baddeley 1975
Paulescu 1993
Challenge - Shallice and Warrington case study of KF 1970.
Hitch and Baddeley 1975
More difficulty doing 2 visual tasks (tracking a light and describing letter F) than a visual and a verbal. Shows existences of seperate systems.
Paulescu
1993
PET scans of brain.
Showed different parts of brain used for different visual and verbal tasks.
However no common area used, so no evidence of the Central Executive or Episodic Buffer
WMM issue + debate
Still machine reductionist.
Tries to explain a complex behavior by comparing humans to machines. Doesn’t account for emotions or individual differences so its usefulness is limited.
