Working Memory Model

Question 1

Who proposed the WMM?

Answer 1

• Baddeley and Hitch

Question 2

Why was the WMM proposed?

Answer 2

• Baddeley realised memory was more complicated than the MSM made it out to be.
• Baddeley proposed WMM as something that carries out functions of STM and some of the work of LTM too

Question 3

What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 3

• It allows us to recreated images either based on something we are seeing in real time or we have seen in pass.

Question 4

What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 4

• It is a unitary store processing visual and spatial material together or whether these operations are carried out by separate stores
• Stores visual information
• 3/4 object capacity

Question 5

What is central executive?

Answer 5

• It is the control center responsible for coordinating the other slave units
• It is able to process information from any of the senses and appears to have minimal storage capacity
• involved in problem solving and decision making

Question 6

What 3 features does the central executive focus on?

Answer 6

• Focus attention
• Inhibition
• Shifting attention

Question 7

CENTRAL EXECUTIVE - what is focus attention?

Answer 7

• Focus attention: attempting to do two things at the same time

Question 8

CENTRAL EXECUTIVE - what is inhibition?

Answer 8

• concentration

Question 9

CENTRAL EXECUTIVE - what is shifting attention?

Answer 9

• diving our attention between two tasks

Question 10

What is the capacity of the central executive?

Answer 10

• limited capacity

Question 11

What is the phonological loop?

Answer 11

• Deals with auditory information, especially for recall of words in the right order
• holds sounds for a few moments (2 second capacity), storing the sounds

Question 12

What two components is the phonological loop composed of?

Answer 12

• The phonological loop store
• Articulatory process

Question 13

What is the phonological loop store?

Answer 13

• (inner ear) - stores material presented audibly

Question 14

What is the articulatory process?

Answer 14

• (inner voices) - constantly repeats or rehearses information so preventing forgetting by decay via maintenance rehearsal

Question 15

What component was added later?

Answer 15

• Episodic buffer
• added by Baddeley in 2000

Question 16

Why was the Episodic Buffer added?

Answer 16

• The central executive has no storage of its own and the other two stores hold either visual or auditory information
• Baddeley realised that there needed to be a store that could hold and coordinate information from all three other stores as well from LTM

Question 17

where is the phonological loop located?

Answer 17

• Temporal Lobe

Question 18

where is the visuo-spatial scratch pad located?

Answer 18

• in the right hemisphere
• simple tasks in occipital lobe
• complicated tasks in the parietal lobe

Question 19

where is Episodic buffer located?

Answer 19

• hippocampus

Question 20

where is the central Executive located?

Answer 20

• Frontal lobes