Psychology: Working Memory Model

Question 1

What part of memory does the WMM describe? How is this different to the MSM?

Answer 1

• The WWM is an explanation for STM only
• Baddeley and Hitch developed the WMM to take account for the fact that STM is not a single store
• It explains how STM is organised and how it functions
• It explains how the mind is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information

Question 2

What are the 4 Multistore Model?

Answer 2

• The Central Executive
• The Phonological Loop
• The Visuospatial Sketchpad
• The Episodic Buffer

Question 3

What is the function and capacity of the Central Executive?

Answer 3

The Central Executive is an attentail process that monitors incoming information.
It solves problems, makes decisions and allocates tasks to the two ‘slave’ systems. It has a limative capacity but can process information from any sense.

Question 4

What is the function and capacity of the Phonological Loop?

Answer 4

• The Phonological Loop deals with auditory information and preserves the order of information.
• Baddeley subdivide the phonological loop into:
  1. The Phonological Loop (which holds words you hear - like an inner ear)
  2. The Articulatory Loop (which silently repeats words - like and inner voice - as a rehearsal process). The capacity of the loop is about 2 seconds worth of what you can say.

Question 5

What is the function and capacity of the Visual Spatial Sketchpad?

Answer 5

• The Visuospatial Sketchpad deals with visual and spatial tasks - such as planning a journey, remembering a face, recalling the order of shops on your local high Street. It has a limited capacity of about 3 or 4 objects
• It is subdivided into:
  1. The Visual Cache - stores visual data
  2. The Inner Scribe - records spatial arrangement of objects

Question 6

What is the function and capacity of the Episodic Buffer?

Answer 6

• Baddeley added the Episodic Buffer because the model lacked a general store
• The function of the EB is to integrate and store information temporarily from the CE, PL, VSS and LTM
• It transfers information to and from LTM
• It has a limited capacity of about four chunks of information

Question 7

Explain that the WMM actively processes information in STM, rather the MSM

Question 8

How does the case study of KF support the model?

Answer 8

Could use his VSS but PL store was damaged as couldn’t understand when read to –> must be different stores

Question 9

Why might it be difficult to make generalisations about working memory form case studies like KF?

Answer 9

He suffered unique brain damage and so it is difficult to generalise from his case study. Can not base his case of the WMM alone.

Question 10

How do dual task studies support the model?

Answer 10

• Supporting evidence from Dual Task Performance, case studies e.g. KF and Brain Scan Studies
• Suggests STM is an active processor rather than the unitary ‘stopping-off station’ version presented by the multi-store model
• Practical application e.g. phonological deficits observed in dyslexia linked to articulatory loop

Question 11

How does evidence from brain scans support the model?

Answer 11

Studies show different parts of the brain are involved in auditory and visual tasks. They can’t be the same store if they are in different areas of the brain

Question 12

Why is the role of the Central Executive unclear?

Answer 12

• The concept of the CE is quite vague.
• Some evidence suggests the CE might be made up of different stores e.g. the Case study of EVR
• After brain surgery to remove a tumor form his prefrontal cortex, EVR could no longer make any decisions but his problem solving was unaffected - What does this tell us about the CE? More complex than the model suggests and is made up of different stores (not unitary)

Question 13

Explain why the model doesn’t account for musical memory

Answer 13

The model doesn’t account for musical memory because participants can listen to instrumental music without impairing performance on other acoustic tasks. Musical memory doesn’t seem to impact performance in the PL –> music memory is not part (processed separately) from the PL

Question 14

Name the 3 Different types of Long Term Memory

Answer 14

• Sematic: memory for facts, knowledge (shared)
• Episodic: memory for personal events
• Procedural: memory for actions and skills

Question 15

Describe Semantic Memory

Answer 15

Memory for facts / knowledge of the world e.g. meanings of words, capital of France, name of the store in the stores in the MSM Model
- Not ‘time stamped’ (you usually don’t remember when you learnt it)
- Usually need to be recalled consciously
- Less personal than Episodic memories

Question 16

Describe Episodic Memory

Answer 16

Memory for personal events e.g. what you did on your last holiday
- Includes memories of when events occurred and people, places, behaviours involved
- Need to be consciously and with effort
- Usually ‘time stamped’ - you remember when they happened

Question 17

Describe Procedural Memory

Answer 17

Memory for actions/skills or how to do things
- Usually recalled without conscious effect
- Difficult to explain verbally

Question 18

How does Tulving’s 1994 Study support different types of LTM?

Answer 18

These PET scans show the left frontal lobe is active when retrieving semantic memories whereas the right front lobe is active when recalling episodic memories. Suggest that because they are in different parts of the brain they must be different stores.

Question 19

How does the Case of Clive Wearing support the different Types of LTM?

Answer 19

• Clive’s procedural memory was intact e.g. he could remember how to play the piano. He has some semantic memories as he could remember facts from his childhood. His episodic memory was destroyed by the virus - he couldn’t remember any events that had happened to him.
• This supports the 3 types of LTM as they were each affected differently in Clive’s brain, suggesting they are located in different parts and therefore must be separate stores.
• However, Clive had unique brain damaged so need to be make conclusions about 3 types of LTM based on case study anyone

Question 20

Why do Cohen and Squire questions the 3 types of LTM?

Answer 20

Believe in 2 types of LTM:
1. Declarative (explain in words) Semitic and Episodic
2. Non-declarative (difficult to explain in words) Procedural