The Working Memory Model

Question 1

What is the WMM?

Answer 1

The WMM is a model of STM

• it is concerned with the mental space that is active when, for example playing chess or completing maths questions

Question 2

What are the subsystems in the WMM?

Answer 2

1. Central executive
2. Phonological Loop
3. Visio-Spatial Sketchpad
4. Episodic Buffer
5. LTM

Question 3

What is the role of the Central executive?

Answer 3

The CE allocates subsystems

• It has a supervisory role; monitors data, directs attention and allocates subsystems to tasks

it has a very limited storage capacity

Question 4

What is the role of the phonological loop?

Answer 4

The PL consists of a phonological store and an articulatory process.

It deals with auditory information and preserves the order on which the information arrives.it is subdivided into:

•Phonological store: stores words you hear

•Articulatory process: allows maintenance rehearsal
( repeating sounds to keep them in WM)

Question 5

What is the role of the VSS?

Answer 5

The VSS stores visual and or spatial information when required, e.g recalling how many windows a house has.

Logie (1995) Subdivided the VSS into:

• Visual Cache: stores visual data
• Inner scribe: records arrangement of objects in visual field

Question 6

What is the role of the Episodic buffer?

Answer 6

The EB was added in 2000, it is a temporary store for information

It integrates visual, spatial and verbal information from other stores

Maintains the sense of time sequencing - recording events that are happening

Question 7

What is one strength of the model?

Answer 7

One strength of the model is support from clinical evidence

• For example, Shalloce and Warrington (1970) studied patient KF who had a brain injury
• His STM for auditory information was poor due to a damaged PL, but he could process visual informal normally, as his VSS was intact
• This supports the WMM view that there are separate visual and acoustic memory stores

Question 8

What is another strength of the model?

Answer 8

Another strength is that dual task performance studies support the VSS

• Baddeley (1975) participants found it harder than carry out two visual tasks at the same time than do a verbal and a visual task together.
• This is becuase both visual tasks compete for the same subsystem (VSS).
  There is no competition with a verbal and visual task.
• Therefore there must be a separate subsystem that processes visual input (VSS) and also separate system for verbal processes (PL).

Question 10

What is one limitation of the WMM?

Answer 10

One limitation is a lack of clarity over the central executive

• Baddeley (2003) said that the CE was the most important but the least understood component of working memory
• There must be more to the CE than just being attention, e.g it is made up of different sub components
• Therefore the CE is an unsatisfactory component and this challenges the integrity of the model