The Working Memory Model

Question 1

Who made this model

Answer 1

BRADDLEY and hitch

Question 2

What does it aim

Answer 2

Explains how one aspect of memory (short-term memory) is organised and how it functions
Concerned with part of mind that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating infoma

Question 3

Central executive

Answer 3

An additional process that monitors incoming decisions and allocates slave systems to tasks
Limited storage capacity

Question 4

Phonological loop

Answer 4

One of the slave systems
Deals with auditory information
Phonological store - stores words you hear
Articulatory store - allows maintenance rehearsal to keep info in working memory (capacity is 2 seconds)

Question 5

Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 5

Second slave system - stores visual info
Limited capacity (3-4 objects)
Visual cache - stores visual data
Inner scribe - records the arrangements of objects in the visual field

Question 6

Episodic puffer

Answer 6

Third slave system
Temporary store for info
Maintain sense of time sequencing (recording event)
Storage component for central executive - Limited capacity of 4 chunks
Links memory with LTM

Question 7

Ao3 - strength - clinical evidence

Answer 7

P - supports model
E - patient suffered from brain damage and had poor STM ability for verbal info but could process visual info (digits not sounds) meaning phonological loop is damaged leaving other areas intact
E - supports existence of separate visual and acoustic store

Question 8

Ao3 - Strength - dual task performance

Answer 8

P - duel task performance supports existence of visuo spatial sketch pad
E - study shows that participants had more difficulty doing two visual tasks than visual and verbal tasks at the same time. This is because both visual tasks compete for the same slave system whereas different tasks don’t
E - means there must be a separate slave system that process visual input

Question 9

A03 - limitation - lack of clarity over central executive

Answer 9

P - cognitive psychologist suggest this component is unsatisfactory and doesn’t explain anything
E - Braddley explained the central executive is most important but least understood component of model. Some psychologists believe it may consist of separate components
E - there’s not enough evidence as model isn’t fully explained, may not be real

Question 10

Ao3 - limitation - musical memory

Answer 10

P - criticised that model fails to take music into account
E - we are able to listen to instrumental music without imparting performance on other acoustic tasks
E - shows the model is not very reliable