Working Memory Model Flashcards
Define the working memory model
A representation of STM concerned with part of the mind that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information
Name the four main components of the WMM
- Central executive
- Phonological loop
- Visio-spatial sketchpad
- Episodic buffer
Outline the role of the central executive
It has a supervisory function and directs attention to the slave systems
Outline the role of the phonological loop
Processes information in terms of sound (both written and spoken material)
State and define the two sub-components of the phonological loop
-Articulatory control system- keeps info in PL through vocal repetition and is linked to speech
-Phonological store- stores words recently heard for a short period of time
Outline the role of the visuo-spatial sketchpad
Processes visual and spatial information in a mental space
State and define the two sub-components of the visuo-spatial sketchpad
-inner scribe- handles spatial relationships between objects
-visual cache- processes visual information about form and colour of an object
Outline the role of the episodic buffer
Binds and intergrates information from all of the slave systems and sub-components and sends the information to the LTM
Define dual-task performance
Carrying out two tasks at the same time
Name and describe the study which investigated dual-task performance
Baddeley et al. (1975):
-participants had to carry out two tasks simultaneously
-first, they were asked to track a dot of light whilst describing the letter ‘F’ (undertaking two visual tasks)
-then they were asked to carry out visual and verbal task simultaneously
-performance was worse when completing two visual tasks, compared to completing visual and verbal task
-when completing two visual tasks they compete for limited resources of visuo-spatial sketchpad= support for WMM
