The working memory model

Question 1

Sensory buffer

Answer 1

Duration: ¼ to ½ a second
Capacity: Larger capacity
Encoding: sense specific

Question 2

STM

Answer 2

Duration: 18-30 seconds
Capacity: 7 +/- 2 items
Encoding: mainly auditory

Question 3

LTM

Answer 3

Duration: Unlimited
Capacity: Unlimited
Encoding: semantic

Question 4

what is the working memory model

Answer 4

An explanation of how the stm is organised and how it functions

Question 5

What are the 4 main sections of STM as explained by the model

Answer 5

Main component:
- Central executive

3 slave subsections:
- Phonological loop
- Visuo spatial sketchpad
- Episodic buffer

Question 6

What is the Central executive

Answer 6

Supervises and coordinates the other slave systems
- Monitors data coming in and allocates to a slave system

Question 7

Whats the capacity of the CE

Answer 7

Very limited, doesnt store info

Question 8

What is the phonological loop

Answer 8

Deals with auditory information and preserves order of information

Divided into 2 subsections

Question 9

What are the 2 subsetions the phonological loop is divided to?

Answer 9

Articulatory process and phonological store

Question 10

What is the articulatory process

Answer 10

Allows for maintenance rehearsal
Capacity: 2 sec

Question 11

What is maintenance rehearsal

Answer 11

repeating sounds or words to keep them in phonological store while they are needed

Question 12

What is the phonological store

Answer 12

stores auditory information

Question 13

What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 13

Stores visual and spatial information

Question 14

Example of using VSSP

Answer 14

visualising your route to school

Question 15

Capacity of VSSP

Answer 15

3-4 objects

Question 16

What are the 2 subsections VSSP is divided into

Answer 16

Visual cache
Inner scribe

Question 17

What are the visual cache and inner scribe

Answer 17

visual cache - stores visual data

inner scribe - records the arrangement of objects in visual field for the visual scribe

Question 18

What is the sensory buffer

Answer 18

Combines acoustic, spatial and visual info from slave systems and LTM to link with other cognitive processes
- Acts as a back up storage

Question 19

What is a strength of working memory model thanks to a case study

Answer 19

The case of KF supports the working memory model

Question 20

How did the case of KF support working memory model

Answer 20

-Motor cycel crash
-Damage to STM
- Struggled to process verbal info, but visual info was fine
- Showing visual info is processed differently from verbal info

Question 21

What is a weakness of the working memory model

Answer 21

Its reductionist/incomplete

Question 22

Why is the working memory model reductionist/incomplete

Answer 22

The CE isn’t understood, as Baddeley mentions ‘CE is most important component yet the least understood’

• CE needs to be more clearly explained, rather than it just being ‘attention’.

Question 23

What is a strength of the working memory model based off research?

Answer 23

Dual-task studies by Baddeley have supported WMM.

Question 24

Explain how baddeleys studies on dual task performance have supported the WMM

Answer 24

• Participants performing verbal and visual task = no trouble

-Participants performing 2 visual tasks = low performance

Both visual tasks compete for same slave system, whereas visual and verbal info have no competition