Working Memory Model Flashcards
Who introduced the WMM
Baddley and hitch (1974)
What did baddely and hitch propose
They felt that STM was not just one store, but a number of different stores. So, he created the working memory model.
What is the first part of the WMM called
Central executive
What is the function of the CE
to direct attention to particular tasks, determining at any time how the brain’s sub-systems are allocated to tasks.
What are the sub systems of the CE
Phonological loop, central executive and visual-spatial sketch pad
What does the phonological loop do
It deals with auditory information and preserves the order of information.
What does the visuo-spatial sketch pad do
It is used when you have to plan a spatial task. For example, getting from one room to another. Visual information is what things look like, and spatial information is the physical relationship between things.
What does the episodic buffer do
an extra storage system which Integrates information from the central executive, the phonological loop, and the visual-spatial sketch pad. It also maintains a sense of time sequencing . It sends information to LTM.
Evaluation of WMM
- It is too vague
- most of the support for the WMM comes from case studies
- the phonological loop explains why people can cope with short words better than long words
Evaluation: WMM is too vague
One limitation of the working memory model is that it is too vague and doesn’t fully explain anything. This is because all it appears to do is allocated resources and it is too similar to ‘attention’. Critics have stated that as well as this, the concept of a single central executive is incorrect as there are probably several components. One piece of evidence to this is EVR, who had a cerebral tumour removed. He performed well on tests requiring reasoning, which suggested that his central executive was intact. However, he had poor decision making skills which suggested that his central executive was in fact not wholly intact. This means that, the account offered of the central executive is unsatisfactory because it is probably more complex than Baddeley and Hitch originally suggested.
Evaluation: most of the support for the WMM comes from case studies
Another limitation is that most of the support for the WMM comes from case studies of individuals who have suffered serious brain damage. First of all, the process of brain injury is traumatic, which may itself change behaviour so that a person performs worse on certain tasks. Second, such individuals may have other difficulties such as difficulties paying attention, and therefore underperform on certain tasks. Finally, case studies are of unique individuals and cannot be generalised to the population. Overall, this means that the use of case studies to support the WMM is unreliable and so statistics for example would make a more reliable source.
Evaluation: the phonological loop explains why people can cope with short words better than long words
One strength of the WMM is that the phonological loop explains why people can cope with short words better than long words in working memory. It seems that the phonological loop holds the amount of information that you can say in 2 seconds. This makes out hard to remember a list of long words such as ‘association’ compared to shorter words such as ‘pink’ and ‘happy’. The longer words can’t be rehearsed on the phonological loop because Thet don’t fit. This is evidence for the articulatory process - a key component of the WMM.
