The WMM

Question 1

What is the WMM?

Answer 1

A representation of short-term memory (STM). It suggests that STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using different subunits coordinated by a central decision-making system

Question 2

What is the role of the CE?

Answer 2

It is essentially an attentional process that has a “supervisory” role. It focuses, divides and switches our limited attention. It monitors incoming data makes decisions and allocates slave subsystems to tasks.

Question 3

What is the capacity of the CE?

Answer 3

Very limited

Question 4

What is stored in the CE?

Answer 4

Nothing. Not even briefly

Question 5

What is the role of the phonological loop?

Answer 5

It deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which information arrives

Question 6

How is the phonoligical loop encoded?

Answer 6

Acoustically

Question 7

What is the PL subdivided into?

Answer 7

• The articulatory process
• The phonological store

Question 8

What is the role of the articulatory process?

Answer 8

It allows maintenance rehearsal. (repeating sound)

Question 9

What is the capacity of the AP?

Answer 9

is believed to be 2 seconds worth of what you can say

Question 10

What is the phonoligcal store?

Answer 10

It stores auditory information

Question 11

What is the role of the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 11

It can temporarily store visual and/or spatial information when required

Question 12

What is the capacity of the VSS?

Answer 12

About 3-4 objects

Question 13

What is the VSS divided into?

Answer 13

• The visual cache
• The inner scribe

Question 14

What does the visual cache do?

Answer 14

Stores visual data (images)

Question 15

What does the inner scribe do?

Answer 15

Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field. Process where you can rehearse visual/spatial information.

Question 16

What is the role of the episodic buffer?

Answer 16

It is a temporary store that integrates the acoustic, visual and spatial information processed by the other subsytems. It maintains a sense of time sequencing, basically recording events that are happening.

Question 17

What is the capacity of the episodic buffer?

Answer 17

About 4 chunks.

Question 18

What study suppost the WMM?

Answer 18

Baddely found that when ppts performed a visual and verbal task together (duel- task performance), performance on each was no worse than when they carried them out separately but declined when the same subunits are used twice. This supports the WMM because it shows there must be seperate slave subsytems that process visual and verbal input.

Question 19

What is a weakness of the CE?

Answer 19

Is an unsatisfactory component and doesn’t explain anything.
The CE is the most important but least understood component of the working memory.
The CE needs to be more clearly specified than just being simply “attention.” Suspects consist of separate subcomponents.
The wmm has not been fully explained.