Working Memory Model Flashcards
Psychologists that suggest WMM
Baddeley and hitch
Describe the WMM
STM = active store
Provides extra explanation of MSM
5 parts of WMM
- central executive
- Visio - spatial sketchpad
- phonological loop
- episodic buffer
- LTM
Central executive (CE)
- Determines which info received from sense organs is and isn’t attended to
- directs info to slave system and collects responses from them
- no capacity
- selective
When is the CE selective
- when their is more than 1 type of info
- creates a balance between tasks
- only cope with one strand of information at once
Phonological loop (PL)
Auditory info and order of info
2 Categories of PL
- primary acoustic store
- articulacy process
What is the primary acoustic store
Stores words recently heard
What is the articulacy process
- Keeps info in the PL through sub vocal repetition
Visuo - spatial sketchpad (VSS)
- Temporary store for visual and spatial items and the relationship between them
- helps us interact with our physical environment
- coded and rehearsed through mental pictures
Who suggested 2 parts of the VSS
Logie
Logies 2 parts of VSS
Visual cache and inner scribe
Visual cache
Form and colour
Inner scribe
Handles spatial relationships
Capacity of the VSS
Limited
Capacity of PL
Limited capacity - determined by the amount of info that can be spoken aloud in 2 secs
What was added by Baddeley in 2000
The episodic buffer
Episodic buffer
Temporarily stores info combined together from CE,PL,VSS AND LTM
Why is the episodic buffer required
PL and VSS have limited storage and the CE has no storage
Evaluation of WMM - supporting Research
Dual task study:
- baddeley
- ppts struggles to carry out 2 simultaneous and complex tasks
- suggest that CE has limited capacity as it can only cope with one take at one time
Brain scanning study:
- pet scans
- different brain areas activated by verbal and visual tasks
- supports the idea of separate components (PL & VSS)
Equation of WMM - criticisms
- not clear how CE works
- specific capacity not stated therefore possible to disprove it with research evidence
Dual tasks study criticism
Lack ecological validity
Lac mundane realism
