WORKING MEMORY MODEL Flashcards
What is the WMM (1974)
A multicomponent system that explores STM in greater depth - it addresses the oversimplification of MSM
What does the WMM show?
That doing 2 visual tasks or 2 verbal tasks together, overload STM and impair performance. However doing 1 of each did not confuse pps. Baddeley & Hitch proposed that acoustic and visual information are processed separately in working memory (new name for STM)
How many components are there in the WMM?
3, but one is split into 2 sub sections: Central Executive -> Visuospatial Sketchpad or Phonological loop -> Phonological Store or Articulatory Process
What is the Central Executive?
It is not a memory store, instead it takes on a supervisory role where it monitors the overall memory systems within WM. It retrieves memories/info from the 5 senses and allocates it to slave systems (PL or VSSP). It is capable of dividing, focusing, problem solving and can switch attention between tasks.
What is the Visuospatial Sketchpad (VSSP) - slave system
It processes visual input such as images or light and spatial information such as direction. It stores and manipulates visual and spatial info and recreates images from LTM. e.g - Attempting mental rotation tasks and giving directions
What is the Phonological Loop (PL) - slave system
It processes auditory information, maintaining speech and sound. It consists of 2 sub systems: Phonological Store -“inner ear” (storage) and Articulatory Process - “inner voice” (rehearsal).
What do the Phonological Store -“inner ear” and Articulatory Process - “inner voice” do?
Phonological Store - temporarily hold verbal info that is heard for a few seconds
Articulatory Process - Rehearses info through subvocalizing to keep it in STM
What is subvocalising?
Saying words in you head whilst reading, e.g - repeating a phone number in your head
What did Baddeley add in 2000, and what does it do?
He added a 3rd slave system, the Episodic Buffer. It is a multi-modal (it is not limited to one sense only) It’s job is to bind visual and verbal memory’s together into patterns and stories. It enables us to complete task that combines both. The CE picks info from the PL and VSS to go into the EB.
5 Strengths of the WMM
- Baddeley and Hitch
- Evidence from PET scans
- Evidence from KF case study
- Evidence from Williams syndrome
- Application to society
5 Strengths of the WMM
- Incomplete/Inaccurate 1st time. 2nd????
- Evidence from PET scans
- Reductionist
- Evidence from case studies
- Lack of evidence for central executive
Evidence from PET scans - strength and weakness
- Paulesu et al (1993) found that during visual STM tasks, the occipital and parietal lobe were more active and during verbal STM tasks, the inferior parietal cortex and Broca’s area were more active
- Smith & Jonides (1997) found differences in brain activity during visual and spatial tasks, indicating that VSS is made of multiple store and is more complex then WMM
Evidence from case studies - Strength and Weakness
- KF’s impairment was mainly for verbal info whilst his memory for visual info was largely intact (separate stores)
- KF’s case study evidence is limited. One persons memory cannot be generalised to the whole population. KF may of had unique issues
WMM weakness - Reductionist
The model only explains STM and is not a complete explanation. However later, Baddeley added the episodic buffer to the theory which aims to address the transfer between STM and LTM so maybe the later version is less reductionist
WMM weakness - Incomplete/Inaccurate
The 1974 model has been added to over time suggesting that the original was incomplete and inaccurate, so it may still lack accuracy
