The working memory model

Question 1

Who was the working memory model proposed by?

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch

Question 2

What components make up the working memory model?

Answer 2

• Central executive
• Phonological loop (articulatory control system and phonological store)
• Visuo-spatial sketchpad (inner scribe and visual cache)
• Episodic buffer

Question 3

Explain the function, capacity and coding of the central executive

Answer 3

Function: It controls attention and directs information to the two slave systems, the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad.

Capacity: Limited

Coding: Any sensory modality

Question 4

Explain the function, capacity and coding of phonological loop

Answer 4

Function: It is a temporary storage system for verbal information held in speech-based form. It consists of 2 components:
- Articulatory control system which allows subvocal repetition of acoustic information
- The phonological store which is a temporary store for coding acoustic information.

Capacity: Limited

Coding: Acoustic information

Question 5

Explain the function, capacity and coding of visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 5

Function: It is a temporary storage system for visual and spatial information. It consists of 2 components:
- Inner scribe which deals with the manipulation of mental images
- Visual cache which codes for visual and spatial information

Capacity: Limited

Coding: Visual and spatial information

Question 6

Explain the function, capacity and coding of episodic buffer

Answer 6

Binds all the information from all of the components and passes it to the long-term memory. It codes for both visual and acoustic information with a limited capacity.

Question 7

Evaluate the working memory model

Answer 7

• One limitation is that the WMM is an incomplete model for memory since it only focuses on STM and has little to no focus on LTM and how information is passed and stored in our long term memory.
• Research support from the case study of Patient KF. After his motorcycle injury, his LTM remained intact but not his STM. He was able to remember visual information/images e.g faces but not acoustic information like sounds. This supports the idea that there are at least 2 components in STM, one for visual and one for acoustic information hence proving the two slave systems