the working memory model Flashcards
definition
this relates to how STM is organised and how it functions.
the central executive
this receives information from LTM and the senses then organises the slave systems (e.g. phonological loop & visuo-spatial system) to work on information in STM
the phonological system
consists of the articulatory loop that rehearses spoken information whilst the phonological store holds the amount of words that can be spoken in 1 & a half to 2 secs.
the visual system
involves the visuo-spatial sketchpad whose job it to store & manipulate visual info. it is separated into the visual cache & inner scribe
the visual cache
stores visual data so we can see what objects look like
the inner scribe
records positions of objects in relation to each other in our visual field. it also has a limited capacity of three or four objects.
the episodic buffer
a general store that contains info about the current episode we are focusing on. this relates to visual and acoustic info & cannot be stored in the central executive. Capacity of four chunks & acts as a bridge between working memory and LTM.
working memory
says that we can do two activities simultaneously providing that we use separate stores.
Evaluation strength: Baddeley et al (1975)
demonstrated participants were more able to do two tasks at the same time if they use two separate stores.
Evaluation strength: KF
his verbal memory was impaired but his visual memory worked well. This shows his phonological loop was damaged but his visuo-spatial sketchpad was functioning well.
Evidence strength: Braver et al
found participants had greater activity in their left prefrontal cortex when they were doing a task involving their central executive.
Evaluation weakness: a vague outline of central executive
it is unclear what the precise function of it is.
