The Working Memory Model Flashcards
What is the diagram of the WMM ?
Central executive
I
Visual-spatial sketchpad Episodic buffer Phonological loop
I
LTM
What does the central executive do ?
Supervisory role - monitors incoming data , directs attention and allocates subsystems to tasks
It has a very limited capacity
What does the phonological loop do ?
PL deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which the information arrives - it is subdivided into :
Phonological store - stores the rods you hear
Articulatory process - allows maintenance rehearsal
What does the visual-spatial sketchpad do ?
Stores visual and/or spatial information when required e.g. recalling how many windows your house has
Subdivided into :
Visual cache - stores visual data
Inner scribe - records arrangement of objects in visual field
It as limited capacity
What does the episodic buffer do ?
It is a temporary store for information - integrates visual, spatial, and verbal information from other stores - maintains sense of time sequencing - recording events that are happening
Links to LTM and wider processes such as perception
Has limited capacity of about 4 chunks
Name one strength of the working memory model ?
P - one strength of the model is support from clinical evidence
E - for example Shallice and Warrington studied KF a patient with a brain injury - his STM for auditory information was poor (damaged PL) but he could process visual information properly (intact VSS)
E - this supports the WMM view that there are separate visual and acoustic memory stores
Name another strength of the working memory model ?
P - one strength is that dual task studies support the VSS
E - Baddeley’s participants found it harder to carry out two visual tasks at the same time than do a verbal and a visual task together - this is because both visual tasks compete for the same subsystem (VSS) - there is no competition with a verbal and visual task
E - therefore there must be a separate subsystem that processes visual input (VSS) and also a separate system for verbal processes (PL)
Name one limitation of the working memory model ?
P - one limitation is a lack of clarity over the central executive
E - Baddeley stated the CE was the most important but the least understood component of the WMM - there must be more to the CE than just being ‘attentive’ e.g. it is made up of separate sub components
E - therefore the CE is an unsatisfactory component and this challenges the integrity of the model
Name another limitation of the woking memory model ?
P - one limitation is the validity of the model due to its highly controlled studies
E - dual-task support the WMM - however , these studies are highly—controlled and use tasks that are unlike everyday working memory tasks (e.g. recalling random sequences of letters)
E - this challenges the validity of the model because it is not certain that working Emory operates this way in everyday situations
