The Working Memory Model Flashcards
Researchers Baddeley & Hitch (1974) questioned the existence of a single…?
Researchers Baddeley & Hitch (1974) questioned the existence of a single
STM store, arguing that STM was more complex than just being a
temporary store for transferring info to LTM.
What is the working memory model?
The WMM is an explanation of how one aspect of memory (short-term memory) is organised and how it functions.
The WMM is concerned with the part of the mind that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information, for example when working an arithmetic problem, playing chess or comprehending language.
The model consists of six main components, each of them are different in terms of capacity and coding (visual and auditory).
What are the 6 sections of the working memory model?
Central Executive (CE)
Phonological Loop (PL) – includes the
phonological store & articulatory control
system.
Visuo-spatial Sketchpad (VSS)
Episodic Buffer (EB)
What is the role of the Central Executive?
The central executive is essentially an attentional process that monitors incoming data from our senses, makes decisions and allocates ‘slave systems’ to tasks.
It has limited capacity and can only cope with one strand of info at a time.
It selectively attends particular types of info, attaining a balance between tasks when attention needs to be divided – talking while driving.
What is a limitation of the Working memory model?
P: Cognitive psychologists suggest that the central executive is
unsatisfactory and doesn’t really explain anything.
E: The central executive is the most important but least understood
component of working memory. It needs to be more clearly specified than just being simply ‘attention.’
C: This means that the WMM hasn’t been fully explained and is incomplete.
Counterargument:
Brain scanning studies show activity in particular areas when performing tasks.
Braver et al (1997)- p’s did tasks involving the CE while they were having a brain scan, activity was seen in the prefrontal cortex.
Providing evidence that the CE may have a physical reality in the brain.
What is the role of the Phonological Loop (1st Slave System)
Deals with auditory information and the order of the info – whether words occurred before or after each other.
Limited capacity determined by the amount of info that can be spoken out loud in about two seconds, info will decay if not rehearsed.
PL is divided into two sub parts:
Phonological store
Articulatory control system
What is the role of the Visuo-spatial Sketchpad (2nd Slave System)
The VSS stores visual and
spatial information when
required, it is like an inner
eye.
For example, if you are asked to work out how many windows there are on your house, you visualise it.
It has limited capacity,
according to Baddeley (2003), about three/four objects.
Researcher Logie subdivided the VSS into:
The visual cache
The inner scribe
What is a strength of the working memory model?
P: Studies of dual-task performance support the separate existence of the
visuo-spatial sketchpad.
E: Baddeley et al (1975) showed that participants had more difficulty doing
two visual tasks at the same time (both visual tasks compete for the same
slave system), in comparison to doing a visual and verbal task at the same
time.
C: This means there must be a separate slave system (VSS) that processes
visual input, as the model suggests.
What is the role of the Episodic Buffer (3rd Slave System)
This slave system was added to the WMM by Baddeley in 2000.
It is a temporary store for
information that integrates the visual, spatial and verbal information processed by the other stores and maintains a sense of time sequencing.
This means that the episodic buffer records events/episodes that are happening.
It has a limited capacity of
about four chunks.
The episodic buffer links
memory to LTM and wider
cognitive processes such as perception.
Evaluation: Case Study KF
P: Support for the WMM comes from Shallice & Warrington’s (1970) case
study of patient KF who had suffered brain damage from a motor cycle
accident.
E: KF had poor STM ability for verbal information, but could process visual information normally. This suggests that just his phonological loop has been damaged leaving other areas of memory intact.
C: This supports the existence of the separate visual and acoustic store.
Counterargument
However, evidence from brain-damaged patients may not be reliable
because it concerns unique cases with patients who have had traumatic
experiences.
What is the Phonological store?
Phonological store: inner ear, stored words recently heard.
What is the Articulatory control system
Articulatory control system: inner voice, keeps info in the PL through sub-vocal repetition of info.
What is the The visual cache (VSS)
Stores visual data such a colour.
What is the inner scribe (VSS)?
Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field.
