The Working Memory Model - Baddeley and Hitch

Question 1

Working Memory Model

Answer 1

• Focuses on the STM store.
• Suggests that the STM store is composed of 3 limited capacity stores:
  1) Central Executive
  2) Articulatory-phonological loop
  3) Visuo-spatial sketchpad
• Later addition was the ‘Episodic Buffer’ which facilitates communication between the central executive and long term memory store.

Question 2

When is the WMM used?

Answer 2

• When you are working on a complex task which requires you to store information as you go along.
• It involves storage and processing.

Question 3

Central Executive

Answer 3

• An attentional process that monitors incoming data, makes decisions and allocates slave systems to task
• 2 slave systems:
  1) Articulatory-phonological loop
  2) Visuo-spatial sketchpad
• A very limited processing capacity.

Question 4

Articulatory-phonological loop

Answer 4

• Processes sound-based information.
• Contains 2 sub-components:
  1) Inner voice - rehearses sound information. This helps us to prepare speech and to think in words. For example, when you’re reading and you may here a particular voice in your head reading the text.
  2) Inner ear - stores sound information. Its focus is on speech perception. If we keep rehearsing the sounds in our head, we can keep it in the phonological store, even the order.
• Phonological loop focuses on one thing at a time.

Question 5

Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 5

• Known as the inner eye.
• Temporarily retains visual and spatial information.
• When you can see an object in your mind’s eye.
• Spatial information relates to the location of those objects in a space. It helps us to know where things are in relation to one another.

Question 6

Component I Main purpose I Capacity I Coding

Answer 6

1) Central executive I An attentional process that monitors incoming data, makes decisions and allocates slave systems to task I Limited capacity I Modality free (not limited by any of the 5 senses as it needs to manipulate all manner of information)

2) Phonological loop I Processes sound based information I 2 seconds worth of information I Acoustic

3) Visuo-spatial sketchpad I Temporarily retains visual and spatial information I 3-4 objects I Visual

4) Episodic buffer I Facilitates communication between the central executive and long term memory store I Limited capacity I Modality specific (like the central executive)

Question 7

Link the WMM to the Dual Task Technique

Answer 7

• WMM stemmed from research using a ‘dual task technique’ or interference task whereby performance is measured as participants perform 2 tasks simultaneously
• If one store is utilised for both tasks, the task performance is poorer than when they are completed separately, due to the store’s limited capacity, eg, repeating ‘the the the’ aloud and reading a text silently would use the articulatory-phonological loop for both tasks, slowing performance
• If the tasks require different stores, performance would be unaffected when performing them simultaneously, eg, repeating ‘the the the’ aloud whilst performing a reasoning task (requiring attention, i.e. the central executive), or whilst following a mobile stimulus with your eyes (using the visuospatial sketchpad)

Question 8

Strength

Answer 8

The WMM provides an explanation for parallel processing (i.e. where processes involved in a cognitive task occur at once), unlike Atkinson and Shiffrin’s MSM

Question 9

Strength

Answer 9

A Shallice and Warrington (1974) case study reported that brain-damaged patient KF could recall verbal but not visual information immediately after its presentation, which supports the WMM’s claim that separate short-term stores manage short-term phonological and visual memories.

Question 10

Strength

Answer 10

The model was developed based on evidence from laboratory experiments, so confounding variables could be carefully controlled to produce reliable results that can be replicated.

Question 11

Weakness

Answer 11

Despite providing more detail of STM than the multi-store model, the WMM has been criticized for being too simplistic and vague, e.g. it is unclear what the central executive is, or its exact role in attention.

Question 12

Weakness

Answer 12

Results from laboratory experiments researching the WMM will often have low ecological validity, as tasks such as repeating ‘the the the’ are arguably not representative of our everyday activities.