Working Memory Model

Question 1

What is the working memory model?

Answer 1

• The working memory model develops on the multi-store memory model as short-term (working) memory is shown through research to have many subdivisions not being a single unit.
• The working memory model belives these are the central executive, visospatial sketchpad, the phonological loop and the episodic buffer, which have different coding and capacity.
• Tries to explain short-term memory only.

Question 2

What is the function of The Central Executive?

Answer 2

Used whenever we deal with any tasks, which make cognitive demands. Montioring incoming data, makes decisions as to what infromation is important and needs attention and it allocates the information to the slave systems.

Question 3

What is the coding of the central executive?

Answer 3

It is modality-free: very flexible system that can process information from any sense in various ways.

Question 4

What is the capacity of the central executive?

Answer 4

Unlimited capacity/ vast.

Question 5

What is the function of the phonological loop?

Answer 5

Is the ‘inner voice’ and deals with audiotary information, Is divided into: phonological store (stores the words you hear) and the articulatory control system, which allows maintence rehearsal (repeating sounds and words in a ‘loop’ to keep them in working memory while they are needed’).

Question 6

How is information coded into the phonological loop?

Answer 6

codes acoustically; Perserves the order in which information arrives.

Question 7

What is the capacity of the phonological loop?

Answer 7

Capacity of loop is 2 seconds worth of what you can say.

Question 8

Function of theh Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 8

Spatial awareness- Helps to know where your body is in relation to the other things

Helps you to visualise/ picture something in your head.

This store is responsible for storing visual and/or spatial information when required.

Question 9

Capacity of visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 9

rding to Baddeley, it has a limited capacity of 3 or 4 objects (2003).

Question 10

Function of episodic buffer

Answer 10

• This store was added to the model by Baddley in 2000.
• Storage component for the central exective.
• Temporary store for information, intregrating visual, spatial and verbal information
• Linking working memory to long term memory and wider cognitive processes such as perception

Question 11

Capacity of Episodic Buffer

Answer 11

Limited capaciy of four chunks (2012)

Question 12

Coding of the eposodic buffer

Answer 12

• Modality-free
• Maintain sense of time and can sequence events

Question 13

Strengths of the eposodic buffer

Answer 13

• Badeley did a lot of research in order to back it up. Baddeley’s dual task performance studies show that some dual tasks complete for the same slave system inhibiting activity.
• Takes into account multi stores for short-term memory. Explain KF’s case study in a way multi-store memeory model.

Question 14

Weaknesses of the eposodic buffer

Answer 14

• Does not account semantic coding.
• The supporting lab experiments lack ecological validity. Do not reflect a day-to-day basis and therefore cannot be generalised.
• Have to make inferences about behaviour- cognitive assumptions
• Lack of clarity on the central executive- in 2003 Baddeley said the CE was the most important but least understood component of the working memory. It is probably made up of separte components, more to it than attention This challenges the intergeity of the model has a whole.