the working memory model

Question 1

working memory model definition

Answer 1

a representation of the short-term memory. it suggests that STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using subunits co-ordinated by a central decision-making system

Question 2

who developed working memory model

Answer 2

Baddeley and Hitch

Question 3

when was working memory model developed

Answer 3

1974

Question 4

what is working memory model

Answer 4

an explanation of how one aspect of memory (short-term memory) is organised and how it functions

Question 5

what is working memory model concerned with

Answer 5

‘mental space’ that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information

Question 6

what does working memory model consist of

Answer 6

4 main components which are qualitatively different especially in terms of coding and capacity

Question 7

what 4 main componenets does working memory model consist of

Answer 7

-central executive
-phonological loop
-visuo-spatial sketchpad
-episodic buffer

Question 8

central execuative definition

Answer 8

component of the WMM that co-ordiantes the activities of the 3 subsystems in memory. also allocates processing resources to those activities

Question 9

phonological loop definition

Answer 9

processes sound, this includes written and spoken material. its divided into phonological store and articulatory process

Question 10

visuo-spatial sketchpad definition

Answer 10

processes visual and spatial information in a mental space often called our ‘inner eye’

Question 11

episodic buffer definition

Answer 11

brings together material from the other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands. also provides a bridge between working memory and long-term memory

Question 12

centeral execuative role

Answer 12

supervisory

Question 13

what does central executive do

Answer 13

moniters incoming data, focuses and divides our limited attention and allocates subsystems to tasks

Question 14

central executive capacity

Answer 14

limited processing capacity and does not store information

Question 15

what does phonological loop do

Answer 15

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

Question 16

phonological loop coding

Answer 16

acoustic

Question 17

what is phonological loop subdivided into

Answer 17

-phonological store
-articulatory process

Question 18

what does the subdivision of the phonological loop, the phonological store do

Answer 18

stores the words you hear

Question 19

what does the subdivision of the phonological loop, the articulatory process do

Answer 19

allows maintenance rehearsal (repeating sounds or words in a loop to keep them in working memory while they are needed) the capacity of the loop is believed to be 2 seconds worth of what you can say

Question 20

what does visuo-spatial sketchpad do

Answer 20

stores visual and/or spatial information when required

Question 21

visuo-spatial sketchpad capacity

Answer 21

limted capacity, which according to Baddeley is 3 or 4 objects

Question 22

what did Logie subdivide visuo-spatial sketchpad into

Answer 22

-visual cache
-inner scribe

Question 23

when did Logie subdivide the visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 23

1995

Question 24

what does the subdivide of visuo-spatial sketchpad, the visual cache do

Answer 24

store visual data

Question 25

what deos the subdivide of the visuo-spatial sketchpad , the inner scribe do

Answer 25

records the arrangement of objects in the visual field

Question 26

what does the episodic buffer do

Answer 26

temporary store for information, integrating the visual, spatial and verbal information processes by other stores and maintaining a sense of time sequencing -basically recording events that are happening. it can be seen as the storage component of the central executive

Question 27

when was episodic buffer added to working memory model and who by

Answer 27

by Baddeley in 2000

Question 28

episodic buffer capacity

Answer 28

limited to about 4 chunks

Question 29

what does episodic buffer link

Answer 29

working memory to long-term memory and wider cognitive processes such as perception

Question 30

strength of working memory model - clinical evidence

Answer 30

-Shallice and Warrington’s 1970 case study of KF
-after his brain injury KF had poor STM ability for auditory information but could process visual information normally. for instance his immediate recall of letters and digits was better when he read them (visual) than when read to him (acoustic). phonological loop was damaged but visuo-spatial sketchpad was intact –> findings strongly supports existence of separate visual and acoustic memory stores

Question 31

limitation of working memory model - counterpoint to clinical evidence

Answer 31

-unclear if KF had cognitive impairments other than damage to phonological loop which might have affected his performance on memory tasks
-for example his injury was caused by a motorcycle accident, the trauma may have affected his cognitive performance apart from any brain injury –> challenges evidence that comes from clinical studies of people with brain injuries that may have affected many different systems

Question 32

strength of working memory model - dual-task performance

Answer 32

-dual task performance supports the separate existence of the visu-spatial sketchpad
-Baddeley et al’s participants carried out visual and verbal task at the same time their performance was similar to when they carried out both tasks separately. but when both tasks were visual/verbal performance on both declined, this is because both tasks come from the same subsystem, whereas there is no competition when performing visual and verbal tasks together –> must be separate subsystems (VSS) that processes visual input and one form processing verbal (PL)

Question 33

limitation of working memory model - nature of the central executive

Answer 33

-lack of clarity over nature of central executive
-Baddeley recognised this. the central executive needs to be more clearly specified than just simply being ‘attention’. some psychologists believe that central executive may consist of separate subcomponents –> central executive is an unsatisfactory component and challenges integrity of working memory model

Question 34

evaluation of working memory model - validity of the model

Answer 34

-dual-task studies support WMM as 2 tasks sharing a subsystem are much harder to perform together than those using separate subsystems
-however, these studies use tasks that are unlike tasks in everyday life. they are also carried out in highly-controlled lab conditions