The Working Memory Model

Question 1

Who proposed the working memory model

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch 1974

Question 2

What does the WMM focus on

Answer 2

The STM

Question 3

Key components of the WMM

Answer 3

-The central executive
-The phonological loop
-The visuospatial sketchpad
-The episodic buffer

Question 4

What is the function of the central executive

Answer 4

-The ‘boss’

-Processes info from all sensory modalities
-Directs attention and decides which tasks are handled by the phonological loop ], visuospatial sketchpad or episodic buffer.

Question 5

Capacity of the central executive

Answer 5

Very limited. Can only focus on one task at a time effectively

Question 6

Example of the central executive working

Answer 6

Solving a maths problem while ignoring distractions

Question 7

Function of the phonological loop

Answer 7

-Handles all auditory and verbal information

Question 8

What two components is the phonological loop divided into

Answer 8

-The phonological store
-The articulatory process

Question 9

Function of the phonological store

Answer 9

-The ‘inner ear’ which holds spoken words for a brief time

Question 10

Function of the articulatory process

Answer 10

The ‘inner voice’ which rehearses words silently to prevent decay

Question 11

Capacity of the phonological loop

Answer 11

-Limited to around 2 seconds of speech based information

Question 12

Example of the phonological loop

Answer 12

Remembering a phone number and repeating it silently

Question 13

Function of the visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 13

-recesses all visual and spatial information

Question 14

Two components of the visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 14

-The visual cache
-The Inner scribe

Question 15

Function of the visual cache

Answer 15

-Stores visual,such as shapes and colours

Question 16

Function of the inner scribe

Answer 16

-Processes spatial relationships and movement such as navigating a map

Question 17

Capacity of the visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 17

-Limited but can handle simple visual or spatial tasks

Question 18

Example of the visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 18

-Visualising the route to a friends house

Question 19

When was the episodic buffer added to the WMM

Answer 19

2000

Question 20

Function of the episodic buffer

Answer 20

-Integrates information from the PL, VS, and LTM to create a coherent episode

Question 21

Capacity of the episodic buffer

Answer 21

-Limited to about 4 chunks of information

Question 22

Example of the episodic Buffer

Answer 22

-Combining verbs descriptions and visual layouts to imagine a new city

Question 23

How do Dual task studies by Baddeley support the separation of the WMM components

Answer 23

-Participants struggled more when performing two visual tasks (e.g tracking a light and describing the letter F), compared to performing a visual and verbal task simultaneously. This is because the two visual tasks competed for the visuospatial sketchpad, while a verbal task engaged the phonological loop

-This demonstrates that the PL and VS are separate systems, supporting the WMM

Question 24

Limitation of Baddeleys dual task studies

Answer 24

-Dual task studies often take place in artificial environments, reducing ecological validity. Multitasking in real life may involve more complex interactions than those tested in the lab

Question 25

What evidence did Shallice and Warrington find for the WMM in their studies on brain damaged patients

Answer 25

Patient KF had impaired STM for auditory information but normal STM for visual information, suggesting separate stores for verbal (PL) and visual (VS) processing

Question 26

What evidence did Farah find for the WMM in their studies on brain damaged patients

Answer 26

-Patient LH performed better on spatial tasks than visual imagery tasks, supporting the distinction between visual and spatial subsystems in the visuospatial sketchpad

Question 27

What is a criticism of the central executive

Answer 27

Some argue its role is too vague/ too simplistic

Question 28

How do Eslinger and Damasio criticise the central executive

Answer 28

-Studied patient EVR, who had a cerebral tumour removed. EVR performed well on reasoning tasks, suggesting that central executive was intact, however, he had poor decision making skills, which also suggests dysfunction -This suggests that the central executive may involve multiple subcomponents, reflecting the complexity of attention control. Furthermore, its role is poorly defined and there is little evidence for its structure beyond being a general ‘control system’

Question 29

What cognitive disorders can the WMM help us to understand (practical applications)

Answer 29

-Dyslexia- liked to defects in the phonological loop, affecting verbal rehearsal and reading skills -ADHD- Associated with impairments in the central executive, leading to difficulties in attention and ta switching -This can help us to understand how to use strategies to improve verbal rehearsal in dyslexic children or enhance attention in ADHD patients