working memory model Flashcards
who proposed the wmm?
baddeley and hitch
wmm
what is it?
describes the processes and structures involved in temporary storage and manipulation of information necessary for complex cognitive tasks such as reasoning, comprehension, and learning.
describe the wmm
The WMM temporarily stores and manipulates info being used for tasks.
The central executive (CE) switches our attention between tasks and supervises the two slave systems, allocating visual and spatial info to the visuo-spatial sketch pad (VSSP) and auditory info to the phonological loop (PL). The episodic buffer brings info together from the VSSP and the PL into ‘episodes’ (patterns and stories), combining them with ‘downloaded’ info from the LTM.
what are the four components of the wmm?
- central executive
- phonological loop
- visuo spatial sketchpad
- episodic buffer
what does the central executive do?
- it focuses, divides and switches our limited attention
- it monitors incoming data, makes decisions and allocates slave subsystems to tasks
- has a very limited prcoessing capacity and does not store info
what does the visuospatial sketchpad do?
- stores and processes information in a visual or spatial form
- used for navigation
what does the visuospatial sketchpad consist of?
the visual cache – stores visual data (things that you see).
the inner scribe - records the arrangement of objects in the visual field (where they are).
what does the phonological loop do and what does it consist of?
- deals with auditory info, preserves order in which info arrives
- the phonological store (which holds information in a speech-based form)
- the articulatory process (which allows us to repeat verbal information in a loop)
phonological store
- processes speech perception
- stores spoken words we hear for 1-2 seconds
also known as inner ear
articulatory control process
- processes speech production
- rehearses and stores verbal information from the phonological store, has a time based capacity of about 2 seconds
also known as inner voice
what does the episodic buffer do?
- facilitates communication between the central executive and long term memory
- temporary store that integrates the acoustic, visual and spatial information processed by other subsystems
- also maintains a sense of time sequencing, basically recording events (episodes) that are happening
what is a strength of the working memory model?
(supporting evidence)
P: A strength of the WMM is that it has supporting evidence
E: Baddeley & Hitch’s dual task paradigm expts. found that due to the limited capacity of the PL pps were slower at processing info when simultaneously using the same slave system.
T: This experimental evidence suggests the WMM is valid in suggesting STM consists of separate slave systems with limited capacity.
what is a weakness of the working memory model?
(contrasting evidence)
P: A weakness of the theory is there is contradicting evidence…
E: Blind people have spatial memory, remembering where objects are even if they have never had any visual info so the VSSP doesn’t just process visual info.
T: This is a weakness because the WMM cannot fully explain working memory yet, it is lacking in detail.
what is a strength of the working memory model?
(application)
P: A strength of WMM is that it has real life application
E: Removing competing info when processing important info will enable more effective processing because there won’t be competition for limited capacity of one slave system eg. not listening to music when in a lecture.
T: Therefore the theory can used in everyday life to help students learn more effectively.
what is a weakness of the working memory model?
P: A further weakness of WMM is…
E: The CE, is described as in charge of switching and focusing attention, but doesn’t explain how it does this. Baddeley says the CE is the most important but least understood component of the model.
T: Therefore WMM lacks validity because it is not a fully accurate explanation of how STM works.
