The Working Model of Memory

Question 1

What it is

Answer 1

Refers to that bit of memory that you use when you are working a task out which requires you to store information whilst your working it out

Question 2

Central executive

Answer 2

• they key component
• part that is referred to as the ‘boss’
• information arrives from the senses
• when you pay attention
• has a limited capacity
• controls 3 slave systems that also have limited capacity

Question 3

Phonological loop

Answer 3

• this holds speech based information
• it contains 2 components
  ~ phonological store (inner ear) which are the words that you hear
  ~ articulacy process (inner voice) which are words that are read/heard that are silently looped
• encodes auditory information for maintenance rehearsal

Question 4

Visospatial sketch pad

Answer 4

• encodes and stores visual and/or spatial information
• divided into the 2 elements
  ~ visual cashe (store visual data)
  ~ inner scribe (spatial relations)

Question 5

Episodic buffer

Answer 5

• added to the model in 2000
• this is a general store, not a specific one
• hold information that relates both to visual and acoustic information
• it chunks together episodes of information
• integrates LTM back into workable STM

Question 6

central executive

Answer 6

Coding = senses
Capacity = limited

Question 7

Visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 7

Coding = visually
Capacity = limited

Question 8

Phonological loop

Answer 8

Coding = auditory
Capacity = limited

Question 9

Strengths

Answer 9

• emphasises the process involved in memory more than the MSM which mainly just describes the structures
• KF had fine LTM and visual STM after a motorbike accident but had problems with verbal STM showing that STM has separate stores
• Bunge used FMRI scans and compared activity of the brain when doing single and dual tasks, Some parts activated in both but there was more activity when doing dual tasks
• Baddeley found ppts struggled to carry out 2 visual tasks at the same time but could do 1 visual and 1 verbal task easily

Question 10

Weaknesses

Answer 10

• the central executive is too vague as it may have several components
• evidence from brain damaged patients may not be reliable as they are too unique so not reliable or generalisable
• too restrictive to STM as it doesn’t tell us anything about LTM