The Working Memory Model Flashcards
Proposed and when?
- Baddeley and Hitch
- 1974
What did the WMM question?
- Existence of a single STM store
Working memory STM
- Active store
- Holding several pieces of info while they were being worked on
Structure of WMM
- Central executive
- Visuospatial sketch pad
- Episodic buffer
- Phonological loop
- Long term memory
Central executive
- Filter - determine which info received by sense organs is attended to
- Directs it into the 2 slave systems
- Limited capacity
Central Executive - research
Baddeley
- Baddeley - 1996
- Ppts = difficult to generate lists of random numbers while switching between pressing numbers and letters on a keyboard (dual-task)
= 2 tasks competing for CE resources
= Limited capacity
Central Executive - research
D’Esposito
D’Esposito - 1995
- fMRI scans
- Prefrontal cortex (problem solving + higher order thinking) activated when verbal + spatial tasks performed at the same time
- Brain area = CE workings
CE - Evaluation
- Little known - competing for resources it 2 tasks cannot be performed together
- Controlling attention rather than being a ‘memory store’
Phonological loop
- Deals with auditory information
- Limited capacity - info amount?
- Confusion - similar sounding words
PL components
- 2
- Primary acoustic
- Articulatory process
Primary acoustic
- Inner ear
- Stores words recently heard
Articulatory process
- Inner voice
- Keeps info in PL - sub-vocal repetition of info
PL - Research
T & G
- Trojani and Grossi (1995)
- SC - Brain damage affecting functioning of his PL but not his VSS
= Separate system
PL - Research
B
- Word length effect
- Ppts recalled shorter words in serial order than longer words
= Supports capacity of PL - how long it takes to say words
PL - evaluation
- PET scans = different brain areas activated in visual and verbal tasks
- PL and VSS - separate systems?
- PL associated with evolution of language - remember vocalisations and helped learning of complex language
Visuospatial sketchpad (VSS)
- Inner eye
- Temporary store - visual and spatial info
- Helps to navigate around environment
- Info coded and rehearsed - mental pics
VSS - Research
Logie
Logie - 1995
VSS Sub-divided;
- Visual cache - stores visual material - form and colour
- Inner scribe - spatial relationship + transfers info in the visual cache to the CE.
VSS - Research
Gathercole and Baddeley
Gathercole and Baddeley
- Difficult to track moving light and describing angles of letter F - both involve VSS
- Tracking light and completing verbal tasks = VSS and PL
= VSS - separate slave system
VSS - Research
Klauer and Zhao
Klauer and Zhao
- Interference between 2 visual tasks than visual and spatial tasks
= Separate visual cache and inner scribe
VSS - Evaluation
- PET scans = brain activation in left - visual tasks
+ brain activation in right - spatial info
= Separate VC and IS - Studies of VSS and PL - lack ecological validity
Episodic Buffer
- Baddeley 2000
- 3rd slave system
- Explain how possible to temporarily store info from CE, PL, VSS and LTM.
EB - Research
Alkhalifa
- Patient - severely impaired LTM
- STM capacity - 25 prose items
= Existence of EB - hold items in WM until they are recalled
Evaluation of WMM
- Most psychologists use WM as it is more plausible
- Explains STM in terms of both temporary storage and active processing
- WMM attempts to explain how memory functions
- Account for individual differences in memory
